Compost at home in 3 easy steps!
The convenience of Remix Powder makes the Daily Dump way easy-peasy!
Composting kitchen waste is easy!
Abhishek Sharma shows you how to compost in 60 seconds!
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Things you can compost
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Things you can't compost
WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR
Little details you need to know
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Compaction
If a pile has too much water & the waste is clumpy, it will probably smell since no oxygen is circulating. Adding Remix powder in layers prevents this from happening. If too compacted, you will need to remove the contents bit by bit into a bucket, mix it with Remix Powder so that the whole pile is aired and has enough dry matter to absorb the excessive wetness. Then, return the aired material into the composter. Call Daily Dump for a ‘Crisis service visit’ if you want us to do this for you (in Bengaluru only).
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Acidity
Decomposition is optimum when the pile is not too acidic (has neutral pH). If you have a lot of citrus waste, add some baking soda over the citrus peels to neutralize the acidity. Highly acidic piles decompose slowly and may smell. If you use a lot of citrus regularly, mix in a teaspoon of baking powder every week into the composter. Earthworms are also very sensitive to acidity, so maintaining neutral pH is important if you want to use earthworms for final maturation.
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Size
The smaller you cut fruit and veg chunks, the faster they will compost since more surface area is exposed to air. Whole cauliflower stalks or watermelon rinds will take up space and slow down decomposition. Cutting them up is best practice but large pieces will eventually decompose and not adversely affect the quality of compost.
Remix Powder helps you compost
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1. Absorbs moisture
Remix powder uses the absorption strength of cocopeat to soak up the liquid released during composting (leachate). That means no more gooey, sticky or smelly piles.
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2. Makes composting stir & smell free
The powder is light and airy, creating plenty of gaps in the compost pile. This, along with the holes in the outer surface of Daily Dump composters, keep oxygen flowing - eliminating the need to stir and stopping stinky odours from forming.
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3. Great source of carbon
Remix Powder has the right type of carbon for composting. It has ideal particulate size and surface area and so does not lead to air blocked masses forming. Its high lignin content adds to the nutrient value of the done compost and boosts root health.
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4. Creates friable compost
Compost produced using Remix Powder reduces the amount of cocopeat you need to add in your final potting mixture. In fact, you can directly plant some species of seeds into your compost.
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5. Helps you get it right the first time
The correct moisture content and enough oxygen are keys to no smell composting. Start with Remix powder and we can guarantee that you will soon be on your way to becoming a composting ustaad!
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6. Speeds up composting
Remix powder contains a culture of cellulolytic and lignolytic microbes mixed with magnesium silicate. This is a natural and safe accelerator that speeds up composting
How kitchen waste turns to black gold!
Here are some images of kitchen waste in various stages of decomposition.
The ideal aerobic compost pile is moist, airy and smell free.
Compost is ready!
After 1.5 months of decomposition and 1 month of maturing, compost should be black, with very little recognisable food particles. Sieve it if you want ‘tea leaf texture’. Some folks prefer to use it without sieving and simply pick out the large chunks.
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Sieving small volumes of mature compost
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Sieving large volumes of mature compost
Tips to make you a Composting Pro!
Whatever has not fully decomposed and remains, needs to be put back for another composting cycle.
Storing Compost
1. Moisture
Done compost needs to be stored in an airy container and kept moist so that the small amounts of organic material are able to fully break down. using imature compost will perpetuate weeds and some seeds will start to grow. We recommend our Leave it Pot and Remix Bin (since they have holes). Storing in jute sacks is also fine but do watch out for those troublesome rodents that might come to have a nibble. Plastic buckets tend to lead to smell, so make holes in the bucket if using it to store compost. It is important to keep the compost moist & airy.
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2. Additives
To accelerate the last part of decomposition, you can add worms or curd. Adding turmeric (1 teaspoon) neem (1 tablespoon) and panchgavya (1 capfull) help improve the quality of final compost. You can add these once a week. Expert gardeners will add many other things depending on the crop they are tending .
Earthworm image credit: Vani Murthy
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3. Time
Maturing compost for 3 - 6 months month before using in the garden is best practice as it allows time for all the micro organisms to finish breaking down the smallest bits of food. If you are not sure even after this time, do some simple tests. You can store compost forever technically, but keep it moist. After a very long time, you may need to add some nutrients to get the microbes going again.
FAQs about Kitchen Waste Composting
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The first difference is the volumes of waste that are managed. Home composting only deals with about 30 – 50 kgs of waste per month per home. Large scale composting deals with thousands of tonnes of organic waste so problems of leachate management, pests, odour, pollution of soil and air, etc are much bigger.
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About 50 -70% of Indian household waste generated is organic in nature and can be used to make compost. A family of 4 in a city produces anything from 750 grams to 1.5 kgs of kitchen waste daily.
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Yes, you can add cooked waste food to your dump – just make sure you cover it with enough Remix Powder – so that flies do not have anything to get attracted to.
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No. Compost can be also made in open piles, a pit in the ground, a bucket, etc. You just have to know some basics of the magic! Head over to our Learn - Composting Basics page.
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A product helps keep the piles neat, retain heat and moisture. It is convenient to use, a pit is very difficult to maintain. The product is designed to absorb the leechate and thus prevent bad odour or leaks. The product makes it easy to use in places where space is at a premium. It keeps rats, rain and pests away Is beautiful so can be proudly displayed in your garden or balcony.
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Kitchen waste has a high water content which is discharged when decomposition begins. This discharged liquid is called leachate. Leachate is nutrient rich and when diluted is a good additive to plants. The Daily Dump products are designed to take care of this. The Daily Dump products are designed to absorb this liquid into the finished compost and prevent leaks.
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Sure! - here's what you need to keep in mind.
You can add earthworms in the last stage of your composting in Daily Dump composters. Do NOT add them in the fresh waste, as they need a well balanced pH and temperature environment and cannot handle citrus, dairy or meat products. Vermicomposting needs some expertise and consistent looking after. While it produces superior compost, it's not something everyone can do. We suggest you first get the hand of aerobic composting for a few cycles and then experiment with it.
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Any additive that speeds up the process of decomposition can be called an accelerator. Remember, however, that you can make compost without any of these – just by making sure you keep the dump moist and aerated. Mixing a fresh pile of waste with a pile of semi-composted material also speeds us decomposition. Compost eventually…………happens! (You can slow it, but cannot stop it!) Daily Dump supplies many different kinds of accelerators and our Remix Powder has accelerator mixed into it!
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You need to add Remix Powder because kitchen waste discharges a lot of water when decomposition happens. This will make the pile over wet if it is not balanced out with dry organic material. Also microbes need carbon to do their work of decomposition. Remix Powder has the right mix of carbon and microbes that help decomposition and reduce bad odour. Using Remix Powder ensures you do not need to stir and waste your time!
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You can use crushed dry leaves or cocopeat powder. You will need to stir the pile well. Also crushed dry leaves take longer to decompose. You can use curd or buttermilk in place of Compost Microbes but do add sufficient cocopeat or dry leaves to balance the wetness.
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Depending on how many kilos of waste you generate – you can produce up to 2 - 6 kgs of compost per month.
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Leaves and garden waste are bulky and will take up too much space in your kitchen waste composter. We suggest you compost these separately in Leaf Composters. Garden waste takes 6 months to become leaf mulch and 12 months or more to become leaf compost. You can read more on Leaf Composting here
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We feel strongly that you should at least try and see the difference it makes to you once you see orange peels and rotting papaya turn to dark, sweet smelling compost. You will look at yourself and the world differently – with a sense of wonder and awe! (we know because its happened to each of us at Daily Dump)
