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Composting in Primary School

Composting is the only type of recycling that you can actually perform on school grounds (unless you book our paper making session!) It is very good for the environment and a wonderful experience for young children. A compost bin provides a wonderful resource for work on:

  • Minibeasts
  • Helping plants grow
  • Habitats
  • Improving the environment
  • Food Chains
  • Adaptation

Getting Started

Before you start composting there are a number of issues to consider carefully:

1. BINS

Somerset has a fantastic composter offer which schools can take advantage of. Schools can have up to two free 330 litre compost bins plus up to five free lidded caddies for collecting waste.

  Schools can get up to three compost bin free Compost caddies are available for schools

If you would like to order some bins for your school then give us a call on (01963) 351350 or e-mail us on rf.swap@carymoor.org.uk We require you to book a free compost workshop or assembly to ensure you get the most out of your new bin.

2. LOCATION

Decide where to put your bins. A warm sunny site will result in faster composting. Ideally place your bins on soil or grass to allow the minibeasts to get in.

It's also worth finding a site for the bin that's not too far away from school to make it easy to use, especially in the winter.

3. BALANCE

Composting will NOT work with only fruit waste. To avoid a slimy mess infested with fruit flies you need to add ‘brown' materials each time you add your fruit waste. The ratio needs to be about 50:50.

 
 

The greens

The browns

 

Tea bags

Scrunched shredded paper

 

Plants and flowers

Torn up cardboard

 

Fruit and vegetable peelings

Paper hand towels

 

Grass cuttings

Wood shavings, leaves, straw

 

4. COLLECTION ROTA

Work out who's going to collect the waste and empty it into the compost bin. Don't forget to decide who's going to add the ‘browns'! It's recommended to have a designated adult to oversee the system. This could be a teacher, LSA or perhaps a keen parent.
 

TOP TIPS

Now you've got your compost bin up and running here are some top tips to look after it:

OXYGEN

The organisms that live in the compost bin need to breathe so give the contents of the compost bin an occasional turn to let more air in. It's important to add the brown materials to help get oxygen into the bin. Scrunched up paper and cardboard will provide plenty of air pockets in the bin.

FLIES

If you get fruit flies, leave the lid off the compost bin for a few days to let the compost dry out and the flies fly away. Alternatively cover the bin with a few sheets of newspaper. This will deter the flies and will also rot down into the bin. You can also use a piece of carpet or bubble wrap which will need to be removed once the flies have gone.

KEEPING OUT VERMIN

To avoid any unwanted visitors coming to your compost bin don't put any cooked food waste, including meat and bread, into the bin. If you put some twigs and ready made compost into the bin before adding any waste this should prevent vermin coming in!

If you're having a problem with vermin you might want to consider putting the bin on top of a layer of wire mesh. This will provide a long term solution to any vermin issues.

It's also important to keep the area around the bin free of any debris that might attract vermin.

COMPOST USAGE

It will take your compost about a year to rot down, after which you will be able to use it. You can tell when it's ready when it looks brown and crumbly and you can no longer recognise the ingredients. You could use the compost for growing flowers or vegetables linking to the Science QCA Unit 1B ‘Growing Plants'

 

BE REALISTIC!

It's much more important for pupils to have a positive experience of composting than to compost every piece of fruit every day. You could appoint compost monitors on a rota to look after and feed the bin.

WORKSHOPS

We have lots of different types of compost workshops to suit every school or class. We have hands on games, classroom based workshops and seed planting activities.

If you want a particular class to have ownership of the compost process at school we can help you set the scheme up, offer advice and teach them management and troubleshooting techniques!

 

We also have compost assemblies, including a special Wigglebert Worm puppet show for infants. It's a great way of getting the compost message across and has been very successful in schools across Somerset.

 

To book a visit to your school or community group, contact SWAP on 01963 351350, or email rf.swap@carymoor.org.uk
 
About SWAP...

The SWAP team is based at the Carymoor Environmental Centre near Castle Cary. This unusual site is Somerset's first Eco-Centre , and is built on a capped, recovered landfill site. It is situated next to the working landfill at Dimmer, putting the team in a unique position to explain and promote these themes in schools. Site visits and tours are also available by arrangement; please contact Graham Jennings on 01963 350786.

 

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