Composting and Using Compost

1. Composting and Using Compost

2. What is Compost? • Compost is the name of a soil that is produced from organic waste. • Compost is produced when organic waste rots in a compost bin. • Small insects enter the compost and help to break down the waste. What is organic waste? • Things that grow naturally in our environment.

3. Is composting a type of recycling? • Composting is a way of recycling raw fruit and vegetable peelings that we would otherwise throw away. Why is it good to compost? • Food waste takes up most of the space in our bins and this gets buried in a landfill site. • Composting is a good way of reducing the amount of food waste that we send to landfill. • When food waste rots in landfill it produces a harmful gas called methane, which is contributing to climate change.

4. What goes in a compost bin? • Raw fruit and vegetable peelings • teabags • cardboard egg boxes • twigs and leaves

5. What should we keep out of the compost bin? • Any cooked food • meat • dairy products • glossy magazines • cat litter • metal • weeds

6. How is compost made? Mix your greens and browns • Greens Fruit and vegetable peelings and scraps, teabags, leaves, grass clippings, old flowers but not weeds. • Browns dry twigs and leaves, egg shells, cardboard, paper (shredded or scrunched up), pencil shavings, toilet roll tubes, straw.

7. What kinds of animals live in a compost bin?

8. How long does it take? Q. How long does it take before your compost bins starts to produce compost that can be used? A. Nine to twelve months.

9. What is in your compost? In your groups, use your magnifying glass and tweezers to see what you can find. Mini beasts Eggshell Leaves Twigs