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Why It's Suddenly Cool to Compost
Never mind watching the final season of Game of Thrones or getting a ticket to The Open in Portrush (as if there’s any other!), composting is officially one of the cool things to do this year thanks to a recent article by National Geographic which named ‘zero-waste eating’ as one of the top food and drink trends of 2019. And that got us thinking about repurposing our food waste and creating our very own compost.
All we ever knew (or wanted to know) about compost was that it’s brown, looks like muck and it helps to grow stuff. So, with International Compost Awareness Week running between 5-11 May 2019, we decided to dig (ahem!) a little deeper and find out what all the fuss is about…
How can I start my own compost pile?
Compost can be made by leaving material in a pile or in a bin. The method you choose may depend on the size of your garden, the amount of material you have to compost or the amount of compost you need. Click on the pink button to find out how to get started:
What is compost and why is it so great?
Compost is basically bits of once-living things that have broken down and decayed over time. More or less anything that has grown from the ground can be composted ie leaves or banana peels. When a bunch of these items are mixed together in a compost pile, they break down naturally into a rich, conditioning soil that is full of nutrients. The soil can then be used to help grow plants and vegetables.
By composting you’ll be helping to reduce the amount of rubbish going to landfill and, in turn, also reduce the level of greenhouse gases emitted.
🌱 More benefits include:
- No chemicals
- It’s free!
- Fewer pests
- More resistant to disease
- Healthier, thriving plants
Why a whole week to celebrate compost?
The aim of International Compost Week is to tell more people about the many benefits of using compost: improved, high quality soil; healthy plants; reduction in the use of fertilisers/pesticides; improved water quality; and protection for the environment.
The theme for this year is ‘Cool the Climate – Compost!’ and recognises the connection between soil health and climate. There are many ways to help reduce our carbon footprint and reduce climate change, including adding compost to the soil. By composting, carbon captured by plants from the atmosphere is returned to the soil. In addition, the compost, when returned to the soil, provides resistance to drought and disease, adds nutrients, improve its workability and reduce the release of nitrous oxide.