Shown below is the Unit C filled with semi- composted material. This material will take some more time to compost fully. As mentioned earlier – you can transfer this into the Leave-It Pot or into any other container that allows aeration.

The Leave-It Pot serves as a store and helps aeration of the almost done pile.

You can also store semi-composted materials in gunny sacks

Once you have set aside a pile of semi-composted material in a separate container, it can take from 45 - 90 days to completely compost. The composting period is dependent on many factors - moisture content, aeration, composition of matter and weather. But eventually compost will happen - so do not worry!

Do keep the semi-composted material moist and stir in some accelerator once in 15 days.

How do you know when your compost is fully ready?

It should be dark in colour and smell like freshly dug earth and should be a little moist. It is now ready to be passed through a seive.

Fully composted material will be dark and part crumbly (dry more than wet). It will still have parts of leaves (leaves take 8 months to compost) and bones and seeds. Not to worry. Just pick these out or pass this material through a seive. Put the big bits back into fresh waste, it will act as accelerator and decompose.

Mango seeds, bone and big branches take 3 cycles to decompose (upto 9 months)

Fully composted material when passed through a seive will look like the picture shown below. Leave this to mature for another 15 days before using it in the garden. See the link Is It Done Yet to know how to test compost maturity. This is just a precautionary measure. Very sensitive plants may be overwhelmed with fresh compost. Compost must be used appropriately. Check with your Malli for good gardening advice or call us!

So while it takes time – it’s worth the wait and effort. Celebrate your perseverence and sprinkle your compost around plants as a mark of your achievement – perhaps chant a prayer and drop us a line to share this milestone. Congratulations! Good luck with your next cycle!

Sieving being done at the Daily Dump office.
You must place paper or a tarpaulin sheet to collect the compost.
A spade and an empty bucket to collect the large bits is also important. The powder compost can be stored in any container.
It must be kept moist and tested for maturity before use.

You feel really great the first time you have successfully composted.

So while it takes time - its worth the wait and effort.
Celebrate your perseverence and sprinkle your compost around plants as a mark of your achievement - perhaps chant a prayer and drop us a line to share this milestone.

Congratulations!

Good luck with your next cycle!