Stop the smell and nasty niffs

What causes the slime?

• Too many ‘green materials’ being added, such as grass clippings, fruit and vegetable peelings. 
• Compost getting too wet - too much rain getting in. 
• Not enough air, so that the most important bugs cannot survive.

The effect

• The compost cannot decompose properly due to lack of air.
• All the bugs and insects that do the work slow down or die due to water logging or suffocation.
• The compost heap will smell and go slimy.

Solutions

• Add ‘brown materials’ such as torn up cardboard, scrunched or shredded paper, junk mail, envelopes and garden prunings.
• Mix the ‘brown’ and ‘green’ things well so that there are no large layers of either.
• Only water the compost if it needs it (the compost should be as damp as a wrung out sponge, so give it a squeeze if you are not sure).
• Check the middle of the heap, as it may be wet while the top appears dry. If this happens, turning the compost heap will even things out. 
• Add air by turning or mixing your compost with a fork. 
• Too much grass? Leave the grass on the lawn - this will return nitrogen to your soil and help it retain moisture, which will keep the lawn green in the summer.

The most common composting mistake is to put too many grass cuttings in the compost bin. Grass contains a lot of water; it heats up quickly and needs a lot of oxygen to rot it down. Large quantities of grass cuttings on their own will create a slimy, smelly mass.

Mixing fine woody material or screwed up paper and cardboard into the grass creates air pockets.

Remember it is much easier to add air as you go along with things like loo rolls, scrunched newspaper, straw and twigs, than to add air once you have filled the bin.