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Article: Compost at home: How to make the black gold yourself

Kompost zuhause: So stellst du das schwarze Gold selbst her
Biomüll

Compost at home: How to make the black gold yourself

Compost is also called black gold - and not without reason. Composting is the simplest recycling method in the world and what comes out of it is very valuable for the environment. We'll show you how you can make the environmentally friendly fertilizer yourself.

Composting turns the simplest organic waste into the finest fertilizer, which is indispensable for agriculture. Conventional artificial fertilizers are extremely energy-intensive, and wet organic and food waste also produces biogas, which is used to generate electricity. If organic waste ends up in the residual waste, it cannot decompose properly due to the mixture, is burned and cannot be used as fertilizer. Pure waste. 

In order not to waste your organic waste, there are the following options:
Composting in the garden, composting in the apartment with a worm box or bokashi or disposal in the organic waste bin.  

 

In the apartment  

worm box  

The box is filled with soil and earthworms, which metabolize the organic waste into fertilizer. A worm box replicates the cycle of nature and allows composting in the home without smelling. Compost worms and microorganisms break down the organic waste into its basic substances and prepare nutrients so that they can be used as fertilizer for plants. You don't need a garden for the worm box. Every houseplant or the tomatoes on the balcony will be just as happy about the nutritious fertilizer. It takes about 7-8 months until the first load can be used.  

The worms are a bit like very undemanding pets that you have to feed every now and then. They are not really suitable for petting, however, as the little worms stay in the box.  

The worm box is also available as DIY kit !  

Bokashi  

Bokashi is also an indoor compost. The organic waste is sprayed with a solution of lactic acid bacteria, yeasts and photosynthetic bacteria, which causes it to ferment. This then creates the fertilizer. You need a Bokashi bucket (equipped with a sieve insert and a drain tap), a spray bottle, a solution with effective microorganisms and plenty of kitchen waste. The solution can either be made yourself or bought. Unfortunately, the ones you buy are often packaged in plastic. 

Here's how it works: The kitchen waste goes into the bucket and is sprayed directly with the solution. This is repeated until the bucket is full. The contents then ferment for 2 weeks, during which time the liquid can be tapped every 2 days. Diluted with water, this makes a wonderful fertilizer or can also be used to clean drains. Everything that is left in the Bokashi bucket after the two weeks can also be used for fertilizing. 

Garden and kitchen waste (ideally cut up as small as possible) such as plant remains, fruit and vegetable peelings or even coffee grounds go into the Bokashi bucket. Meat, large bones, ash or paper are not allowed in it. 

 

Composting in the Garden

If you have a garden, you can of course simply create your own compost there. The open container made of wood or wire should ideally be in partial shade. Before the kitchen waste goes in, you need a layer of branches and a layer of leaves or grass clippings. It is important that you have a balanced mixture of kitchen waste, wet, green material and dry, woody parts. While grass clippings, for example, contain a lot of nitrogen, woody materials and leaves provide the microorganisms with carbon. The compost should always be slightly moist, but not too wet. Rule of thumb: moisture from a squeezed sponge. If it rains for a long time, it is advisable to cover the compost. During longer dry periods, the pile must be watered from time to time. The compost is ready after ten to twelve months. During this time, the compost should be turned once or twice and sieved before use.  

Composting isn't your thing? Separate your waste and use the organic waste bin!

Organic waste is, as mentioned above, a very valuable commodity and should not be wasted. If you don't have the time or inclination to maintain a compost bin, definitely use the organic waste bin. If kitchen waste ends up in the residual waste, it is worthless. According to the Federal Environment Agency, 3.3 million tonnes of easily recyclable organic waste mistakenly ends up in the residual waste bin in Germany every year. If disposed of in the organic waste bin, the waste would either be recycled in biogas plants and would supply 165,000 four-person households with electricity for a year or would be used as fertilizer for 400 million flower boxes. 

With the stainless steel organic waste bin, you can easily store organic waste in your home. The activated carbon filter protects against odors. 

 

What happens to the contents of the organic waste bin?

It is collected and sent to a composting plant. There, the organic waste is exposed to very high temperatures and therefore rots faster. Germs are killed and the organic waste is ultimately turned into valuable fertilizer. Farmers can use this for their fields and meadows, for example.  

Easily degradable to liquid waste (e.g. food waste) ends up in a fermentation plant, where it is processed into biogas (energy) and fertilizer. Dry, woody plant material is converted into energy in a biomass heating plant. The energy from organic waste is therefore used 1:1 as electricity or for heating in private households.  


What can go in the organic waste bin? (according to BMU)

Note: The regulations may vary depending on the location. Which organic waste can be collected separately in the organic waste bin at a local level depends on the specific recycling options and treatment facilities. It is therefore worth checking the website of the utility company responsible for your place of residence. 

  • Garden waste (e.g. debris from flower beds, tree cuttings, tree bark, flowers, potting soil, hedge and shrub cuttings, leaves, needles, plants, plant parts, brushwood, moss, lawn and grass cuttings, weeds, wild herbs, twigs) 
  • hay, straw (small amounts) 
  • Potted plants (without pot), also with potting soil 
  • cut flowers 
  • Organic waste collection bags made of paper and labelled certified biodegradable plastics 
  • bread and baked goods leftovers 
  • eggshells 
  • Fish remains and bones (normal household quantities; if necessary wrapped in kitchen paper/kitchen towel or newspaper, no glossy paper, for example from magazines, illustrated magazines, or paper from old wallpaper) 
  • Meat and sausage leftovers (normal household quantities; if necessary wrapped in kitchen paper/kitchen towel or newspaper, no glossy paper, for example magazines, illustrated magazines, or paper from old wallpaper) 
  • Vegetable scraps, vegetable waste (e.g. potato peelings, vegetable peelings and so on) 
  • salad leftovers, salad waste 
  • Cheese residues, including natural rind 
  • coffee filter bags, coffee grounds 
  • Bones (normal household quantities; if necessary wrapped in kitchen paper/kitchen towel or newspaper, no glossy paper, for example from magazines, illustrated magazines, or paper from old wallpaper) 
  • dairy product residues 
  • nutshells 
  • Fruit scraps, fruit peels (including tropical fruits, citrus fruits) 
  • Leftover food, raw, cooked, spoiled (normal household quantities; if necessary wrapped in kitchen paper/kitchen towel or newspaper, no glossy paper, e.g. from magazines, illustrated magazines, or paper from old wallpaper) 
  • tea bags, tea residues 
  • springs 
  • Hair 
  • Small animal litter (only made of biodegradable material) including excrement from small animals 
  • Wood wool, wood shavings, sawdust (only from untreated wood) 

And what not?

  • ash 
  • Flower and plant pots made of plastic (also certified biodegradable or marked as compostable), clay, ceramic, glass, metal 
  • wire (for example floral wire) 
  • Disposable plastic tableware and cutlery (also certified biodegradable or marked as compostable) 
  • animal excrement (e.g. dog feces) 
  • Glass 
  • gift ribbon 
  • rubber items 
  • Wood residues, treated (e.g. impregnated, varnished, glazed) 
  • Hygiene products (tampons, sanitary pads, etc.) 
  • Coffee capsules made of plastic (also certified biodegradable or marked as compostable), aluminum 
  • garbage 
  • ceramics, porcelain 
  • candle remnants 
  • Small animal litter, not biodegradable (for example mineral cat litter made from clay minerals such as bentonite and so on) 
  • carbon paper 
  • leather scraps 
  • medications 
  • furniture wood 
  • Paper, cardboard, paper towels, paper handkerchiefs, napkins 
  • Plastic bags, carrier bags and shopping bags made of plastic (also certified biodegradable or marked as compostable) 
  • cleaning rags and cloths 
  • soot 
  • pollutant-containing waste, hazardous waste 
  • chipboard wood 
  • vacuum cleaner bags 
  • wallpapers 
  • carpets 
  • textiles 
  • bandages 
  • Packaging, for example made of plastic (also certified biodegradable or marked as compostable), aluminum, glass, metal, composite packaging 
  • cotton wool, cotton swabs 
  • diapers 

 

 

Sources 

https://www.bmu.de/themen/wasser-abfall-boden/abfallwirtschaft/statistics/bioabfaelle/
https://www.quarks.de/umwelt/muell/das-solltest-du-ueber-recycling-wissen/#l%C3%B6sung7 

 

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