Busting composting smells One of the reasons cold composting bins can have a bad name is that they can become too wet and sour-smelling. Josh says this is easily fixed with a sprinkle of dolomite lime. To prevent a slimy compost bin, each time you throw in wet scraps, add some dry material as well.
If you wish to suppress the smell of composting manure, you can cover the pile with 6-12 inches (15-30 cm.) of straw, leaves or newspaper. This will reduce the smell of composting manure considerably.
Unfortunately to fix the smell, you're going to have to spend some time up close with your compost pile ! Turning your compost pile regularly loosens it and adds in pockets of air to help aerobic bacteria thrive. The bad-smelling anaerobic bacteria will naturally die off when there's oxygen in your compost again.
Stinky smells are a good indicator that your compost pile is too wet and has gone anaerobic. A number of factors can cause this condition: lack of aeration, too much water, or an imbalance of carbon to nitrogen. Without air, the material becomes stagnant and rancid.
If you find that bad odours linger in your bin, sprinkle baking soda inside. If you have a small bin you can handle easily, rinse it out once a week with hot water containing a slug of tea tree oil or lemon juice, and then leave it to dry. Lemon juice is a natural odour remover.
Use baking soda: Just sprinkle some baking soda at the bottom of your bin and add water to dissolve any build ups and to give it a good cleanse. Citrus peel: This is a temporary solution, but throwing some lemon or orange peel into your rubbish bin will help to keep smells at bay in the short term.
Mix 1 Tbsp. of bleach into a spray bottle filled with water, then spray the solution on the bin and wipe it down with a cloth. Make sure the cloth is one you don't mind getting bleach on. The bleach will help kill any bacteria that might be hanging out, and will also remove any lingering smells.
It will lose much of its value if materials are left to decompose too long. The more time compost is left to sit around, the more “colloidal” it becomes. In other words, it becomes more and more compact as the composting microbes continue to feed on the waste materials.
If your compost smells sour like ammonia, the most common reason is too much green material and/or a lack of brown material. You should use 2 to 3 times as much browns as greens. Always cover your greens with a layer of browns like leaves.
Composting works in sun or shade Piles in sunny spots will decompose quicker but also dry out faster and may need supplemental watering during hot dry weather. Those located in a shadier spot will stay moist longer but decompose slower.
Composting is never odor-free. Even under optimum conditions for aerobic decomposition of organic matter, odors are going to form. However, failure to maintain conditions for the optimum microbial environment is guaranteed to make odors worse, particularly those odorants that people find annoying or unpleasant.
Generally compost is ready to be harvested when the finished product is a rich dark brown color, smells like earth, and crumbles in your hand. Some signs that it may not be ready include: Recognizable food content still visible. The pile is still warm.
Busting composting smells
Josh says this is easily fixed with a sprinkle of dolomite lime. To prevent a slimy compost bin, each time you throw in wet scraps, add some dry material as well. Once a week, give the lot a stir to get plenty of air into the pile.
Decomposition will be complete anywhere from two weeks to two years depending on the materials used, the size of the pile, and how often it is turned. Compost is ready when it has cooled, turned a rich brown color, and has decomposed into small soil-like particles.
As a rule of thumb, actively decomposing materials should be turned every three to four days. Materials with slowed microbial activity can be turned less often. In tumblers, turning two times a week resulted in higher temperature and faster decomposition than turning once a week or once every other week (Figure 1).
Turning too often (every day) disrupts the formation of the fungi and actinomycetes that do much of the composting work and may prevent the pile from heating up completely. For the fastest, most efficient decomposition, a pile should be left essentially alone to “cook” until it starts to cool.
They are drawn to the food waste which they help to break down naturally. If you want to reduce their numbers, leave the lid off your compost bin for 3-4 days. If you do this, make sure to cover the surface of the compost so it doesn't dry out.
You can put your compost pile in the sun or in the shade, but putting it in the sun will hasten the composting process. Sun helps increase the temperature, so the bacteria and fungi work faster. This also means that your pile will dry out faster, especially in warm southern climates.
Simple organic activators you may have on hand are lime (limestone), blood meal (yes, it's dried blood), fish meal, and poultry, rabbit, and horse manure. Rabbit food (pellets) and dry dog food are also organic activators that are often have on-hand.
Many gardening and composting sites recommend adding urine onto compost heap to help speed things up. With cold composting this provides the bacteria with a source of food which can be digested quickly producing heat rapidly.
Some of the best odor eliminators are coffee grounds, tea, vinegar, oats, and baking soda. Leaving a bowl of any of these odor absorbers out in a room that's due for a little freshening up will help clear out the less-than-pleasant smells from the air.
When all the air is trapped in the bin, it allows bacteria to grow, which causes the smell. Leaving the lid off the bin will allow the odours to leave and there will be less of a problem.
Remember - your compost bin is only a receptacle. Empty out your scraps every few days or every week in your outdoor compost pile OR your green waste bin to be collected on garbage day!
– Most people shudder when they see maggots in their bin composter or compost pile. They may be startling in their appearance and movement, but they won't hurt you or the compost. In fact, they play a role in breaking down plant and animal tissues.