As with every season  of the year  some sources argue that winter is a good time to start a compost bin. However, on this occasion it is suggested that the start of the season is the time to choose  because the composting process should be complete when spring arrives. However, as the outside temperature falls the process of decomposition will slow and if below freezing for some time may stop.

If you want your compost heap or bin to stay active during the winter, it will be necessary to insulate the bin (See www.carryoncomposting.com/Winter Composting) It is generally recommended that the compost bin is not turned or aerated during the winter months. Concentrate on keeping it warm by the addition of insulations and, even if you are allowing the bin to hibinate over it so as to prevent the contents becoming waterlogged.

Continue adding material to the bin. Help to generate the heat necessary to keep the composting microbes active by adding   coffee grounds (ask at your local coffee shop- many of the chains are only too happy to give coffee grounds to composters), cow and horse  manure helps give the heap a boost and molasses or black treacle  (mixed 1:20 with water) can also be added.

If autumn leaves where bagged for making leafmould some of them can now be diverted to the compost bin as an additional source of carbon rich Browns.

Wood ash from the wood burning stove could also be added during the winter to add a different texture to the mix. 

The vegetable garden can provide tops and trimmings from celeriac, parsnips, Swedes and turnips will continue through December along with leeks, brassicas.

If winter pruning apple or pear  trees shred and compost the pruned wood.

Feeding the bin should continue.  In January, vegetable trimmings and peelings that may be available in include winter cabbage, cauliflowers, celeriac, kohl rabbi, leeks, parsnips and Swedes. If grown on an allotment these should be trimmed on site and the leaves added to the allotment compost bin or heap. Check the swedes, chop, and compost any that have grown too big and woody.  The stems of brassicas should be chopped into small pieces using a spade or shredded otherwise as they will be very slow to decompose. 

Some recommend adding a thin layer of the dried leaves bagged in the autumn as an additional carbon source and of course, wood ash from the wood burning stove can also be composted. 

This is taken from the www,carryoncomposting.com page on the Composting year

Christmas  is one of the peak periods  of the year for the  generation of compostable waste. This is part of a feature on the compost year to be found at www.carryoncomposting.com

Junk mail

Christmas usually results in a mass of festive magazine, advertising sheets and newspaper supplements. Most can be composted but the amount involved means that recycling will often be the best option using the council system available in your district

Cardboard packaging

Cardboard packaging is a good source of “Browns” when torn up or shredded in the compost bin and can be easily stored of use though-out the year. The corrugations in corrugated cardboard form channels containing air which assists aerobic decomposition and will compost relatively quickly if shredded or torn into small pieces.  Cardboard tags can be composted or recycled but any tags which contain foil or glitter cannot be recycled. Polystyrene used for packaging cannot be recycled and must go in your household bin

Wrapping paper

Where possible wrapping paper should be saved for future use. Normal wrapping paper can be composted but it is often laminated with plastic, foil or other non-paper materials which will not compost and are normally sent to landfill.  Sticky tape will not compost but the paper element will, and the remains of the tape can be removed when the compost is harvested.

Crackers

Paper based crackers and their cardboard tubes can be torn up and composted as can most party paper hats.

Christmas trees

Real trees can be shredded and composted using an electric shredder, available from DIY and good Garden Centres. Some Councils offer their residents the chance to have their trees shred at designated sites and may even give a free bag of wood chip as a reward.

If the Council has a green bin system to collect garden waste the tree can be chopped up and put it into the bin for collection. Trees may also be taken to a Council collection point.

There is debate over the use of artificial trees. It is said that the tree should be kept for about nine years before it shows an environmental  advantage over a real tree. We checked our indoor tree and it is 21 years old!

 Wreaths

Christmas wreaths made from natural materials such as holly. Ivy or fir can be composted (woody parts and holly leaves are best shredded first). Alternatively, the greenery can be put in the garden waste bin. If there is no garden waste collection it can be taken to the recycling plant. Any “glitter” should be removed first.

Hanging decorations and paper chains

Paper chains including those dyed in bright colours can be composted. However, “Glitter” is not recyclable. If put in the “paper” recycling bin it will end up contaminating the finished product and the load will be rejected. Glass baubles are not compostable or recyclable. At present most, plastic baubles are not currently recyclable in the UK

Christmas cards

Plain Christmas cards can be composted or recycled as card. Any glitter covered cards, and those over-printed in foil or a 3D image, cannot be recycled. The card element will compost and if any foil remains it can be removed from the compost when it is harvested. Otherwise glitter and foil cards should be disposed of through your household bin. Glitter in the recycling bin will contaminate the entire lorry load of recyclables. Anything containing glitter should normally be put in your household waste bin. 

Gift tags

Cardboard tags can be recycled, but any tags which are foil or contain glitter should be put in your household waste bin. 

Food waste

Uncooked kitchen waste can be composted in the normal compost bin. Waste  cooked can be is easily composted in a multipurpose bin such as  a Hotbin, a dedicated food composter e.g. Juraform  rotary composter  or for smaller quantities a Bokashi system is used. In most families with children Christmas justifies the purchase of a  bin that can deal with cooked food waste. 

Otherwise food waste should go in the Council food waste collection bin (where food waste is collected) or as a very last resort  in the landfill household waste bin.   It is best to “Love Food and Hate Waste” exercising control when buying food, and portion control when serving it and to cook leftovers rather than throw money into the bin. 

After Christmas it is likely that many will be faced with the need to dispose of holly leaves.  There are some sources recommend that they are added to the Council Green Waste bins as they are slow to breakdown when home composting.

This  is true, but  they can be composted in a separate “slow” bin or pile and allowed to decompose over a period of two years and then regularly monitored. Other candidates for this slow bun would include conifers and  rhododendron leaves.

  Small quantities of shredded holly can  be added to a hot composting bin if mixed with a good supply of greens such as grass or kitchen waste  

It is advisable to shred the leaves  using a garden shredder, or by running over them with a lawnmower on the lawn which will have the advantage of adding fresh greens. Shredding also reduces the risk of stabbing yourself on the   sharp spines. It is advisable to wear gloves at this stage and when handling  the compost right up to the maturation stage as the pickles can  to survive.

Even when cold composting holly leaves,  I would suggest turning the material at least weekly for the first few weeks. If  the material looks dry more fresh greens  can be  added, to provide additional nitrogen, along with more water to keep it moist. If doing the sponge tests wear gloves . If using an open bin or pile covering it with a plastic sheet will help retain heat  moisture,

 More information can be found at http://www.carryoncomposting.com/142941489

We can all minimise our Christmas carbon footprint by not wasting food and by reducing and recycling other Christmas waste.

 Baubles   Glass and plastic  baubles are not usually recyclable so do not buy them even if they are reduced on  Christmas Eve. If you have Glass  baubles keep them to be used again next year. If broken they should  be wrapped up and placed in the  general waste.

Most  Plastic baubles are not recyclable (check the label), will have to go to landfill but they should last for years before disposal. If  plastic or glass baubles are in good condition, and you have to get rid of them   they are  best to donated  to a local charity shop.

  Cardboard  is compostable, with  corrugated boxes being a particularly excellent source of carbon rich “browns” they should be torn or cut into smallish pieces and scrunched up when added to the bin. If the cardboard is being sent to be recycled  flatten the boxes to save space and keep them dry if they get wet and go mouldy, they cannot be recycled. Plastic film and sticky tape should be removed from paper and card packaging before recycling.

 Christmas cards      Buy cards that  are Forest Stewardship Council certified. This ensures the paper used has been sustainably and ethically produced.  When Christmas is over cards should  be reused or recycled. Reusing There are many crafting activities using cards  for children interested in reducing waste e.g.  As gift tags. paper chains or cut  out the images to make cards for next year.

 Card recycling. As a composter the first choice should be composting, or a charity collection, or they  can be  put into recycling bins in the  local a supermarket or car park,  local household recycling centre. If the card looks as if it is metallic or contains plastic or laminated materials do a scrunch test. The initial test as to whether a card can be recycled is the scrunch test. If it does not stay scrunched the card cannot be composted or recycled.

 Do not buy cards with glitter as they have to  be sent to landfill as, most glitter cannot  be processed in recycling plants as it clogs up the equipment, but the backs of paper Christmas cards without a coating or glitter can be composted or added to the L.A. bag or box recycling collection

Christmas cards are also recycled by councils via the paper recycling bin.  However,  if, as mentioned above ,they have foil or glitter on them they should be sent to landfill.  The volume of waste wrapping can be reduced by giving presents in bags that can be reused next year and save on paper and waste. Paper cards can be cut up to make gift tags for next year.

 Christmas trees  rooted trees can be planted in the garden and reused. Others  can be composted but it is advisable to shred them first to increase the surface area exposed to the composting microbes and speed decomposition. If a shredder is not available   branches can be cut into small “thumb” size pieces, but these will be slow to compost, and it is easier donate the tree to the Local Authority to be shredded into chippings which are then used locally in parks. Local authorities often arrange drop-off points or special collections of 'real' trees in early January. Check your local authority website for more information. If the council does not offer a system for dealing with Christmas trees they can be cut into small pieces and put in the garden waste bin.

Pine needles can be composted or turned to leafmould, but they will be slow to decompose, and any significant quantities are bested treated separately form deciduous leaves.

Unfortunately, artificial trees, most of which are made from the dreaded plastic face only one possible destination when their final day arrives: landfill. If you have an artificial tree, the best thing to do is use it for as many seasons as possible or donate it to someone else who will. I think they need to be used for at least 5 years  to reduce their footprint to that of a real tree. My artificial tree is about 12 years old and will probably outlast me.

The photo shows the scrunch test for paper. That shown is compostable

Following the pumpkin smash during the second  week of November we had the remains of over 200  pumpkins (mainly lanterns) to process.  As there   was a fair degree of urgency most were quickly incorporated into four of our pallet bins layered with normal garden waste, woodchip, cardboard or shredded paper. This week after a very rainy period, during which the water seems to have got into a couple of the bins despite the fact that they were covered, I  turned the contents.  As can be seen the pumpkins were breaking down  but thematerial  was very wet, well over 60% moisture on the sponge test.  with a sligh unpleasant odour.  The contents were relayered with additional woodchip  to provide more carbon and to help creat  air spaces.   There are more photos at Composting Pumpkins

The pumpkin saga will continue