The Compost Sak™ home and garden composter is an affordable, convenient, and efficient way of recycling kitchen scraps and yard waste into nutrient rich, beneficial garden compost. How do you do it? Using the Compost Sak home composting bins couldn’t be easier. Just follow these steps to get started composting:
- Open the compost bin, set it on the ground, and start adding your compostable materials. The ideal location is in a spot in your home that gets some sun, is close by and unobtrusive.
- Add two or three “Brown” parts for every “Green” part. “Brown” material refers to dead or dried material such as leaves or straw, while “Green” material refers to kitchen scraps such as banana peels and coffee grinds.
- The process of composting will begin quickly and naturally. You do not need to turn anything “on” like many other home composters. You may want to add various starting agents that are commercially available. The Compost Sak™ works well with all of these products. But the process of composting will naturally occur without any special additives. You may want to add a little water right at first if your mix is dry. Do not add too much to your home compost bins.
The key to successful composting at home is to have a mix of materials that is not too wet or too dry - just moist, with enough oxygen to support microscopic life (along with insects and worms, too).
Composting is all about providing a livable environment for microbes. These critters, fungi, bacteria, and others inhabit the feeding on the organic material buffet in the bins, breaking it down into pure compost.
In addition to the right degree of moisture, microbes and other compost life require oxygen to live. The permeable fabric of the Sak compost bins allows in plenty of oxygen. To speed up the process the compost can be turned every few days bringing in even more oxygen. Stir the compost with a stick or a small pitchfork.
Some customers also add worms to their composters. The worms should thrive and actually help the composting process. And if you like to fish, you will have a ready supply of bait!
A few quick tips for successful composting at home:
- Small materials decompose faster than larger ones.
- Cut larger limbs and twigs into smaller ones.
- Shred newspaper and cardboard.
- Break up stale bread and rolls into smaller pieces.
- Don’ t layer - a well tossed mix reacts faster.
- Mixing or turning the isn’t necessary. However, to speed the process turn or mix occasionally.
- Adding some soil and/or commercially available compost activators adds important microbes speeding up the process.
After a short time, when you mix the compost you may notice a heat or smoke rising. This is the chemical process of composting. The smell should be of rich, fresh soil. If the smell is of sour ammonia or if the mix is soggy, add more Brown compost. If the smell is of dried hay, add more Green. If the composting mix is too dry, add a little water, but do not over-water.
If the Compost Sak bins start to lean as more compostables are added, just redistribute the material more uniformly inside the bins.
The Compost Sak™ is reusable and environmentally-friendly. After dumping, take the compost bin back to your home composting area and start filling it again. Many customers have two Compost Sak bins working at the same time. When the first Sak becomes full, fold the fabric over and let it finish cooking for a few extra months, and start using your second Sak. Then empty Sak #1 and start filling it again while you fold Sak #2 and let it finish composting.