Composting by Sam Mckinven

Composting is becoming more important as landfill sites all over the world are filling up. Compost has two benefits; it reduces the amount of waste that would otherwise be going to landfill sites, also it is converted into a product which is useful for gardening, landscaping or house plants.

 

Children who compost become aware of organic wastes as potential resources as they see the waste being turned into something that is nice to touch and is good for the soil.

 

Compost bins can be studied by students by measuring the daily temperature readings to compare how quickly different composts heat up, how hot it gets and how long it retains that heat. A compost pile can heat up to temperatures between the ranges of 50-65°C, which is caused by the heat of microbes.

 

There are certain things that should be put into a compost bin. The best things are tea bags, grass cuttings, vegetable peelings, salad leaves, fruit scraps, old flowers, nettles, coffee grounds, filter paper, plants, rhubarb leaves, and young annual weeds. These are the best because they rot quickly and provide nitrogen and moisture. Other things that can be composted are cardboard, egg boxes, scrunched up paper, fallen leaves, sawdust, twigs, branches and bark. These are slower to rot but provide carbon and fibre and allow air pockets to form.

 

However, there are certain things that should not be composted such as meat, cooked vegetables, dairy products, diseased plants, dog poo, cat litter, nappies, perennial weeds or weeds with seed heads.