Our local Waitrose has a dustbin full of used coffee grounds outside the door with a notice inviting customers to help themselves (you need to remember to take your own container to put them in).
When I say a dustbin full - there's usually only one or two scoops in there because a lot of people do help themselves. Great example of recycling.
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
For fast decomposing you need to cut up all items to be composted. I use hedge shears and cut up the green and brown in a plastic tub before the6 go in the bin. Cutting up everything will definitely speed up the composting process. Any grass clipping should be mixed up with brown compost imo so that it gets spread around as large clumps of grass will become a slimy mess over a few weeks. If your fit and able I would empty and refill your composter. I do this once a year and allow air to circulate within the heap.You can do it more frequently, but using a garden fork and moving the heap within the bin will circulate air. I would also try and keep the heap moist but not wet. Over watering the heap could be detrimental to worms and other insects that process the compost as well as reducing the heat required to break down the heap
Thanks everyone you've all been a great help. I made a start this afternoon and have a small tub so I'm not running in and out all the time just emptying once or twice a day. I've made two along side each other and between two and a half foot or maybe three foot by the same deep all made out of wooden pallets.
Sounds like you're doing a great job. It's easy to overthink compost heaps but the principles are simple as others have stated: Roughly even amount of "greens" and "browns" (don't lose sleep over this - it's obvious if it's gone too far one way or the other); water it if it looks dry (or if ants take residence); give it as good a stir as you can, as often as you can be bothered (air is definitely your friend!); diluted urine as an activator (but it will get going without it). Egg boxes are a handy brown as they will trap air in the heap.
Composting will happen regardless of what you do, so you're just trying to make the conditions favourable so it goes a little quicker.
I don’t have one of Papi Jo’s compost mixers but I do have a compost fork - similar to a pitchfork - which makes lifting and turning material so much easier then using a garden fork with its thicker, shorter, more tightly spaced tines.
@Picidae, the 2 tools work in very different ways. I find "my" compost mixer useful because I make my compost in a cubic plastic bin, where it would be almost impossible to use a fork. On the other hand the mixer is very easy to insert into the compost , as deep as needed, to bring the lower parts to the top, thus providing the necessary aeration to the stuff.
I like the look of the compost mixer Papi Jo I have my great grandfather fork more like a pitch fork only has two prongs but I also have a ordinary garden fork and spade both my fathers and well looked after. I'll let you all know how I got on in a few months time or when it warms up if we get frost. Thanks again to everyone for you advise, much appreciated.
Morning Hostafan 1, I have one of those in the shed was going to put it on freecycle but not now. I don't know where it came from but I know it's in there I looked at Sunday and thought that can go. Thanks for that you have saved me buying something just to use on the compost.
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When I say a dustbin full - there's usually only one or two scoops in there because a lot of people do help themselves. Great example of recycling.
Composting will happen regardless of what you do, so you're just trying to make the conditions favourable so it goes a little quicker.
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