What does composting mean?

Compost is when plants and animal decompose and turn into soil. For anyone with a garden a compost bin, or compost heap, is an Excellent way to keep kitchen and garden scraps out of landfill where they decompose anaerobically (that is, without air), so producing methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more dangerous that carbon dioxide.

It also produces a wonderful compost which can be mixed with soil or used as a mulch to keep moisture in the ground. So in your bin you gradually build up 5 or 6 different layers of:

* sticks and twigs so there will be air in the heap * Nitrogen producing material, foodscraps and green leaves * Carbon producing material, dead and brown leaves, wet and shredded newspaper, Pizza boxes

all covered with a wet piece of sacking.