Home Composting - Trouble Shooting
My compost bin smells
Odours are normally produced by too much green waste like grass cuttings. Make sure the waste is well mixed and add more brown waste to keep it balanced. Try adding scrunched up cardboard, packaging or egg boxes with the green waste. The carbon helps balance the nitrogen excess which is found in the green waste. Occasional stirring of materials in the compost bin will allow more air to flow through the materials and provide the worms and micro-organisms with oxygen for respiration. This is important as these creatures help speed up the composting process.
There are lots of bugs and insects in the compost bin - is this normal?
Yes. Worms, centipedes, fruit flies, ants and other insects are essential to the composting process. They help organic waste break down to form compost.
What about pests?
Pests such as rats and mice are sometimes attracted to compost bins. This can happen if food scraps are left around the compost bin within easy reach of scavenging animals. Adding cooked food such as meat and fish may also attract rats if they are a problem in your area. For this reason it is advisable to only add raw fruit and vegetable food waste to the compost bin. If pests are a major problem in your area it is advisable to only compost garden waste until the pest problem subsides.