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| Problem | Why it happens | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| My compost smells | This occurs because in your bin there is too little oxygen | Try mixing well to allow air to enter the heap |
| - | Or, there is too much green material | Add some more brown materials such as hedge clippings or strips of dry newspaper |
| - | Or, you have added non-compostables, such as meat or dairy products to the pile | Remove them from the pile and turn |
| My compost is too slow | Your compost might be too dry | Add water until slightly damp and turn |
| - | It is also likely that there is too much woody material and not enough green material in your pile | Try adding a little water and some green matter, e.g. fruit and vegetable scraps. Comfrey leaves can be used as a compost activator as they decay quickly |
| - | The pile might not have enough air | Turn the pile to push air through the heap. Mix in materials that do not compact, such as green twigs and plant stems as these will help to create more air spaces |
| My compost is attracting vermin | Meat and other animal products have been included which should not be added | Keep meat and other animal products out of the compost. Remove what you can and turn |
| - | Or, your food scraps are not well covered | Cover compost bin or heap with a lid/ heavy cloth or with brown materials such as leaves, wood chips, or soil |
| There are flies in my compost | These are fruit flies and are quite harmless. They feed on exposed fruit and vegetable waste | Each time they appear, just sprinkle soil to cover the bin contents and they should disappear |
| My compost is wet and slimy | This is either due to uncovered compost allowing rain in | Cover the compost |
| - | Or, because you have put in too much green material like grass clippings and vegetable peelings etc. | Add chopped up twigs, wood chips and some shredded or crumpled newspaper. After a couple of days mix it all up with a garden fork |