Compost and Mulch

A garbage can or rubbish bin is used if the contents are not intended to be sorted, reused recycled or composted.

A compost bin is used for organic material that can be broken down by bacterial actio,n or through digestion by worms, to create compost.

egg shells, banana peels, apple core, orange peels

peat is a noun, and refers to partially carbonized vegetable matter, usually mosses, found in bogs and used as fertilizer and fuel. (answers.com). It is used as mulch, but in the past it was burned in homes to heat them.
Peat is the build up of broken down organic matter that is used to make fossil fuels. It is often found in swamp areas.

yes you can compost any fruit and you can compost the whole pineapple

Compost results from the breakdown of compostable materials. That decomposition may be carried out aerobically, or anaerobically. Aerobic decomposition takes place with the help of oxygen. Anaerobic decomposition takes place in the absence of adequate air and oxygen. One of its products is methane, which is a greenhouse gas. Aerobic decomposition results in good compost that's dark brown, fresh-smelling, and rich in organic matter.

Compostable materials include kitchen scraps other than dairy, greasey and oily, and meat products; and yard wastes such as grass clippings. Banana peels may be included in the compost pile. The breakdown of the peels, and of the other compostable materials, takes anywhere from just under a month to just under a year. For the efficacy and the speed of the process depends upon the meeting of certain levels of air, moisture, and temperature; and upon the regular turning of the pile. When the composting process is complete, the compostable material is unrecognizably broken down into humus, which is dark brown, fresh-smelling, organic matter-rich soil. The compost may be used as mulch, natural fertilizer, and soil amendments.

It should be turned between 145-165 Degrees.

It depends on the size of the bag of mulch. If the bags are 3 cu.ft., 9 bags equal 1 yard, but if the bags are 2 cu.ft., approximately 13-14 bags equal 1 yard.

9

Well 1 sq yard of much will cover 325 square ft or so. That is if you have the mulch 1" High. Its recommended to be 1"-1.5" But your probably not going to get it exact at 1" High of mulch so id go with 300 sq ft.

Yes

Yes I wouldn't through a whole jar in but a Vegemite sandwich no worries. It's a yeast product I have seen some permaculture discussions where they water it down with Manuka honey and use the liquid as a compost

Sure, It might take a little longer, but you still can!

Lime.

Pecan can be as beneficial as any other type of mulch... its unique and attractive... but be careful with it, I suggest not wearing flip flops! :) it maybe a bit more difficult to control though!

No

All vegetable matter ( peelings, and trimmed off pieces when preparing, and left overs, though meat scraps are not recommended ).

Dryer lint.

Leafs ( in the autumn . . . put them in a garbage pail and use a weed wacker to break them up, and add a few every now and then, especially if your compost bin is getting too wet. )

Avoid grass clippings in large amounts, since it can generate too much heat, though some amounts are all right.

coffee grounds and filters.

Some amount of paper ( though not too much. I line my "in house" container with a paper towel, so the vegetable parings will slip out easily into the composter. )

Clipping from non-toxic house plants.

because compost is poo


The green waste used to make garden compost will not decompose if it is dry so it is advisable to keep the material moist.

The texture of compost is crumbly. For it represents the breakdown of compostable materials into their constituent elements. This decomposition is achieved by the subjecting of eligible materials to proper levels of air, moisture, and temperature; and to regular turning. The meeting of composting requirements welcomes soil food web members into the compost pile. Such organisms speed the decay of the compostable materials, and add to the growing amount of resulting organic matter by their waste products and their own eventual death and decomposition. The consequent organic matter forms into aggregates, by way of the respective glues and threads of bacterial and fungal organisms; and not into clumps. Therefore, as in the case of humus that's built up naturally in the soil, this human-assisted humus ends up as dark brown, fresh-smelling, organic matter-rich compost that can be sprinkled easily into mulch mounds, on the soil surface as natural fertilizer, or within the soil as an amendment.

No, for compost; perhaps, for compostables. Composting is the process. Compostable materials are what's eligible for the composting process. And compost is the end result. Successful composting requires subjecting eligible materials to proper levels of air, moisture, and temperature; and to regular turning. If composting follows proper procedure, then compost is dark brown, fresh-smelling, organic matter-rich particles that doesn't need to be made any more finer than it already is. Likewise, compostable materials may be placed as they are in the compost bin, box or pile. But the larger materials break down faster in smaller pieces. And so you may choose to chop, cut, segment, or shred compostable materials that take up more composting space, and possibly therefore more composting time.

It depends on the size. Usually around $7-$12

To cause the material to heat up and aid decomposition.

Your bin should come with a 'how to' guide, but failing that, any food that IS NOT: meat (cooked, processed or raw - it will just rot and STINK), any kind of fat (butter/margerine, oils, cheeses, sauces - or any food with these on them - example: plain pasta is fine, but not when it has sauce on it), bones. You can also put garden waste in too - like grass, leaves, dead plants/flowers. You will likely attract fruitflies, so use a mixture of 1 part apple cider vinegar to 2-3 parts water with a squirt of dishsoap in a small bowl around the area of the kitchen you plan on keeping the bowl to be taken out to the bin itself (we use an old coffee container that has a lid) Happy composting! :-D

Heat and bacteria break down the material

yes they help compost the loose leaf paper. the loose leaf paper takes 2 to 3 weeks to compost