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How to
Why
Barriers
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Importance of Demonstration
Once you start being a community composter you will almost inevitably be called upon to share your composting expertise. One of the problems here is that there is such a wealth of composting information - much of it conflicting, or seemingly conflicting advice! How do you chart a course through this potential minefield? Firstly by personal experience of course but also by talking to other composters and reading some of the best books on the subject. (See the resource section at the back for a suggested reading list.) Nearly everyone has an idea that there is something or other that you just can’t compost, whether that’s rhubarb leaves, grass cuttings or tea bags. So don’t start confusing the issue by perpetuating these myths.
Also remember that, however long you have been composting at home, running a community composting site requires some different expertise. Having a thorough understanding of the principles is vital. What do you do when someone brings you half a mile of leylandii hedge or tip a massive trailer load of grass cuttings all over your site. You need to know what to do - and fast!
If you are planning to compost catering wastes then you will need to satisfy not only the Environment Agency but also the State Veterinary Service. You will need a good understanding of what’s going on. The best way to find the answers is to visit a Compost Demonstration Site.
Demonstration Sites.
The Community Composting Network ( see resources section at the back for the address) has a number of its member sites across the UK designated as ‘Compost Demonstration Sites’. One of these is ‘Proper Job’s’ site in Chagford and is a good place to visit if you are planning a project in Devon. Of course every site is different and you have to bear in mind that not everything you see will apply to your situation but there will be plenty of common ground.
Having a well ordered site.
Even if you are not planning on having an ‘open’ accessible site, everybody still needs to be clear about how the site is run, where everything should be put, especially the compost and the materials being composted. Have clear designated places for ‘woody material’ awaiting chipping, ‘soft’ material which can go straight into a heap and a clear system of where the heaps are to be turned to and in what sequence. The site needs to be designed so that the whole system does not ‘log jam’. This is especially critical where space is at a premium. Besides you will almost inevitably have an ‘Open day’ at some stage and hopefully become a demonstration site too.
Stockpiling
The way you stockpile woody branches prior to chipping makes all the difference when it comes to actually doing the work. If you have to battle with a tangled mess of branches the job takes so much longer wasting time, energy and the budget!
Only stockpile the largest woodiest fraction and put all the same way round with the main stem pointing towards where the chipper will be for ease of access. You can always make another pile (or several) of smaller bits but you will find that it is really only the big stuff that really needs chipping up.
Small chunky bits may not compost very rapidly but they do help with structure and aeration. At the end of the process they can be riddled out either to go around the system again or to go on a special ’long term’ heap or to be part of a very coarse mulch. |
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