Customer Notice
Standard sized composting units (330 litres) are now available for purchase at a price of £22.50 (per unit) via Dundee City Council's Waste Management section. Orders can be placed using this form.
Home composting is an easy way to turn your kitchen and garden waste into a free and reliable source of nutrient rich compost for your garden. It reduces the amount of waste being sent to Dundee's Energy from Waste plant and frees-up space in your general waste bin too. There are numerous ways to compost at home and for some you don't even need a garden!
Many different styles and sizes of bins are available to suit all budgets. Below is a brief summary of the most common systems available.
Home compost bin: this method of home composting is the one that most people are aware of and is probably the simplest way for beginners to start.
For really good compost you need a 50/50 mix of green materials like grass clippings and fruit and vegetable peelings, and brown materials like egg shells, small branches and twigs, autumn leaves and scrunched up paper. There are some materials that cannot be composted including cat and dog waste, nappies, glass, plastic and metal.
Green Johanna: these are similar in appearance and operation to conventional home compost bins but are designed to allow you to compost raw meat and fish, cooked food as well as garden waste and paper and cardboard.
Bokashi unit: these compact, lidded containers are designed to remain indoors and can take all types of food waste (no garden waste). A sprinkling of fortified bran is required each time food is added to the unit to speed up the composting process.
Wormeries: get worms to do all the hard work for you! This method of composting allows you to dispose of raw and cooked vegetable kitchen waste, tea and coffee grounds, egg shells, paper and cardboard but not meat or fish. Wormeries can be kept indoors in an area with a fairly constant temperature, for example in a utility room, porch or garage.
Remember you can continue to use your brown wheelie bin for garden waste only and present it at the kerbside on your collection day. Please do not put any kitchen scraps or food waste in your brown wheelie bin.
For further information contact:
Email: recycle@dundeecity.gov.uk
Tel: 01382 433710 Option 1