Definition | Compost | Futura House

We call compost the composting product of some waste. That is to say the product of fermentation of organic waste – whether agricultural or urban – in the presence ofoxygen and under the combined action of bacteria, of mushrooms and others microorganisms. The objective is to recover elements rich in minerals and matter organic. When ready for use, the compost looks like potting soil. Her color Is dark. It is light and its smell is that of an undergrowth.

Compost is a amendment organic which improves soil fertility and effectively nourishes garden plants. It is recognized that 30% of our household waste from everyday life can be turned into compost. And the more varied the elements used to make a compost, the richer it will be. Among the wastes that can be included: kitchen or garden waste, but also sewage sludge or livestock effluents or even digestates from methanization.

Several ways to get compost

There are several ways to get compost. By letting nature do it first. To do this, just leave the leaves or the lawn mowed to the ground. We speak rather ofhumus than compost. At health home, you can also use a bin specially dedicated for this purpose: a silo, a compost bin or a rotary composter. It then suffices to fill it with waste and to aerate it manually to bring theoxygen necessary for the process to proceed. It is also recommended to mix it – to mix dry and wet waste, at least every two weeks, at the start – and to slightly moisten it – an environment that is too dry is unsuitable for the microorganisms involved in the process and too much humidity disrupts ventilation – to speed up the fermentation. Composting can also be done on a larger scale, in heaps. In this case, several layers of waste are simply superimposed progressively. The natural humidity and the surface are in principle sufficient to provide ventilation and oxygenation.

The vermicomposting corresponds to a particular technique for obtaining compost, ideal for installation in balcony or in a garage. It consists in placing in the composter, red worms which go to feed organic matter, thus producing a compost liquid – which can be used as a liquid fertilizer – and a pasty compost.