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Composting

Recycling and Waste

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is composting?

Composting at home is a sustainable way of dealing with organic waste from your home and garden.

Decomposition is caused by the natural action of hundreds of types of bacteria, fungi and other organisms feeding on the materials in the compost bin. Like us, these are living creatures and need, Food (Materials), Oxygen (Air) and Water (Moisture).

Composting is nature’s own method of waste disposal

Why should I compost?

Composting is good for your garden and the environment, it:

  • Reduces Pollution
  • Reduces Waste taken to landfill
  • Saves YOU Money
  • Improves the structure of garden soils
  • Provides an excellent food for your plants
  • Reduces the amount of chemical fertilizer put on land
  • Reduces the need to buy compost from a shop top of page

How to compost

Home Composter

The Home Composter is for garden waste and uncooked vegetable kitchen waste. It produces compost for use in the garden.
You can place the following materials into your Home Composter:

BROWN (dry) materials:

  • Cardboard (shredded)
  • Hedge trimmings
  • Leaves
  • Small branches and bark
  • Sawdust and wood shavings
  • Twigs

GREEN (moist) materials:

  • Coffee grounds
  • Egg shells
  • Flowers, plants & weeds
  • Fruit & vegetable peelings
  • Grass cuttings
  • Tea bags/ leaves

Key Points to remember:

  • Place at least as much brown (dry) material as green (moist) materials into your Home Composter. The compost should be moist to the touch but not soggy.
  • Turn your compost regularly to ensure that there is enough air in the mixture.

How to buy a discounted Home Composter

To buy a discounted Home Composter, please visit the home composting pages of Waste Aware Scotland.top of page

Green Cone Food Digester

The Green Cone Food Digester is for most kitchen waste and produces a liquid feed that enters the soil under the digester.
You can place the following materials into your Green Cone Food Digester:

  • Bread
  • Coffee grounds & tea bags/ leaves
  • Dairy products
  • Egg Shells (small amounts)
  • Fruit and vegetable waste
  • Meat scraps, cooked and uncooked food
  • Pet waste

Key Points to remember:

The Green Cone Food Digester works best if you feed it with a small amount of kitchen waste at a time, daily if possible.

Dig hole for Green ConeYou will need to dig a hole for the Green Cone's basket section.

Green Cone basket in holeThe hole should be deep enough to come just above the basket rim.

Fit Green Cone sections together.Fix the top of the Green Cone to the basket and fit its lid.

Put Green Cone in hole.Lower the Green Cone into the hole.

Fill hole around Green Cone.Fill in the hole around the Green Cone.

Kitchen caddyYou will also receive a kitchen caddy and accelerant powder as part of your Green Cone kit.

Green Cone with Home Composter.A Green Cone can complement a Home Composter as a way of reducing your waste and improving your garden.

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How to buy a discounted Green Cone

  • You can buy a discounted Green Cone direct from Aberdeenshire Council for just £10.
  • To buy using a debit card, please call the Wasteline.
  • Alternatively, complete the Green Cone order form on this page and return it, with payment by cheque or postal order, to the address shown on page 2 of the form.
  • Green Cone Order Form (pdf 68 kb)