What is compost?
Compost is like a superfood for soil that you can make at home. Compost is made up of recycled kitchen and garden waste that decomposes together, creating nutrient-rich soil. Think of all your fruit peels, vegetable scraps & offcuts, dry leaves, and freshly trimmed grass. These “waste items” could all be of value to you and create this magical soil superfood known as compost. Compost enriches your soil and improves its health.
The term composting refers to the breakdown of organic waste by various microorganisms. Composting requires a balanced mixture of green materials (these are things that are rich in nitrogen, such as fruit peels, vegetable scraps, and fresh plants or leaves) and brown materials (these are things that are rich in carbon, such as dry leaves, eggshells, and sawdust). Two other essential elements for efficient composting to take place are oxygen and water. When you combine green materials, brown materials, water, and oxygen, you are creating an environment that is suitable for microorganisms to thrive, start the composting process, and break down the organic matter.
Why is water important for compost?
Water is important in the composting process because an overly dry compost bin is not conducive for microorganisms and will experience a loss of microbial life whose job is to break down the organic matter. When compost is too dry, compost microbes cannot survive and break down the matter effectively. The presence of water in compost raises the heat of the compost and accelerates the rate of composting.
Why is oxygen needed for compost?
Oxygen helps to accelerate the composting process. With oxygen, the microorganisms operate aerobically and can break down organic matter much quicker than anaerobic microorganisms. Like most living beings, these microorganisms require oxygen to sustain their life.
Without the presence of oxygen, you could face several challenges. One of the most common challenges is when the compost pile is too wet and turns into sludge. In this kind of environment, the aerobic microorganisms will start dying off and the compost process will rapidly slow down. Anaerobic microorganisms will start to replace those that have died off, and the composting process will resume, at a much slower rate. The downside of this is the smell. The earthy, almost sweet smell of aerobic compost will be replaced with a foul, rotten smell in an anaerobic compost situation.
What makes Aerobin a superior home composter?
The Aerobin is so easy to use and is user-friendly even for the most inexperienced compost warriors. The process is simple, you open the top lid, drop your organic waste inside, and close the lid. Due to its patented technology, Aerobin can break down organic matter and produce compost quicker than traditional composting methods. Depending on the materials added and the quantity, you should expect to harvest compost in 8-12 weeks from the start date. Aerobin captures all the moisture, called leachate, which can be used as a liquid fertiliser for your plants and flowers. You can regularly put a mixture of green and brown materials into the Aerobin. The thermal insulation within this home compost bin conserves heat, which leads to the rapid breakdown of waste. You do not need to use a compost starter or any additives or chemicals with Aerobin. A good balance of green and brown waste is all you need.
Happy composting.