Sustainable practices include the recycling of garden and household refuse and making compost is an essential part of this. Good compost is a sweet smelling, rich brown decomposed vegetable matter that provides nutrients and good texture to garden soils. There are many ways to make compost and many household materials to do it with. All kitchen peelings, eggshells, teabags, shredded egg boxes, newspaper, dust from the vacuum cleaner and even hair can be dumped in the compost heap. Small shredded twigs and raked up leaves, grass clippings, old potting soil and annual weeds are also all used.
Some gardeners make compost in custom built boxes.
This is a tidy option for the smaller gardens in particular and ready-made compost bins are also available. The main criteria for these is that they have good drainage and aeration. Two or more piles in different stages of decomposition are usually running together. This allows one heap to reach maturity while the next heap is growing with fresh material. The compost is layered evenly with green and brown organic matter, and a little moisture and an activator are added so that the bacteria which break down the compost can get to work.