Carbon for compost: Do you have the right type?

Did you know a mixture of carbon wastes can help you compost garden waste successfully?

Each carbon type plays a different role in your traditional compost bin or tumbler:

Provide oxygen

Carbon wastes such as twigs, bark and shredded branches help create air pockets to provide oxygen for composting. Also known as bulking agents, these woody wastes resist breakdown and remain rigid for a long time - they can be reused (after sieving) in your next batch.

You freshen the air pockets in a traditional compost bin or tumbler with regular, thorough mixing.

Provide moisture

Carbon wastes such as food-stained paper towels, greasy pizza boxes and egg cartons can absorb and retain water, a composting essential. They help keep your compost bin or tumbler moist, since garden waste generally has low water content and is also difficult to moisten.

Value of assorted carbon types

Garden wastes like seed-free leafy weeds and grass clippings break down quickly, and the carbon they contain is utilised early to get composting going. Fresh leaves in your wastes take longer to break down, providing carbon later. Dry leaves and (absorbent) waste paper products are utilised later still as they take even longer to break down.

Recycle more wastes with a variety of carbon sources and you’ll obtain better results.

Bioverter vs traditional compost systems

Bioverter’s groundbreaking compost bin design makes composting simple. It:

• Self-aerates, eliminating the need for rigid carbon wastes to create air spaces and manual mixing.
• Manages moisture without needing absorbent carbon waste.
• Handles kitchen scraps as your main waste input, and since the waste is generally balanced (in carbon and nitrogen), there’s less worry about what type of carbon is needed.

Bioverter works well in tandem with traditional compost bins, as companion systems for composting kitchen and garden wastes respectively, or as a standalone unit.