How To Compost At Home | Before Composting Was Trendy

Composting at home can happen in so many ways. Leo composts at home in an open bin but also works with his local community to help others compost at home too!

Today I’m back with another edition of one of my favorite series all about composting. I’ve only been composting for a couple of years and still have plenty to learn.

Leo, however, is a composting guru with twenty years of experience! Not only does he compost in his own yard, but he also teaches people in his hometown in Belgium how they can do the same. He’s a husband, father, and a local composting expert in his local town.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself, where you live, your family, etc.. the Leo 101?

I living in Turnhout, Belgium. I have been married for 34 years, and I am a father of 3 children and 4 grandchildren. I work for a company that builds sewage treatment plants and collectors, performing an inspection of contractors who are responsible for the green maintenance.

Tell us a little bit about why you decided to start composting?

Twenty years ago, an appeal was made for a composting course through the environmental department of our city. The objective of this course was to promote composting to the city fellows. Ever since then, we have been meeting every third Saturday from March to October at the urban farm of our city. We show participants how to compost and give tips to all those interested.

What method or methods of composting do you use or have you used?

At home, I use an open compost bin. This is easy to use, and if there is a problem, it is immediately noticeable. I make sure we have the proper ratio of green and brown and keep the compost heap sufficiently moist and airy.

How do you store the compost materials before they are added to your compost bin?

I primarily compost things from our garden. I have 4 compost bins and 1 bin just for fallen leaves. I put wood chips in one compost bin so they can be mixed with the green components whenever I need extra brown materials. With this storage, I can compost the entire year, and we have no issues with bad smells. Everything takes about 5 square meters (or 1 square meter per compost bin).

Do you have any special tools, containers, or products that you use?

We have our compost bins, a compost sieve, a prong, and a chopper. The compost bins are made from recycled material (a mix of paper, metal and beverage cartons). The compost sieve is made of aluminum. We don’t need many fancy tools as nature does most of the hard work.

How does your family feel about composting?

My family is 100% behind me. Even my grandparents participate. Sometimes people laugh at it, but it is always with a positive note.

Have you experienced any benefits from composting, especially ones that might have surprised you?

The biggest advantage is that I reduce my own organic waste myself. The residue from composting goes back into the garden and vegetable garden and is used as fertilizer.

Anything else you’d like to share with readers about your composting practices, especially to help beginners gain confidence that they too can compost?

The compost master in our city only has 1 slogan. Composting can be learned by anyone.

Where else can we find you and learn more about what you’re up to?

You can find me on Instagram @compost_turnhout and on Facebook as well. Via the page you can also connect to the community “composting everyone can learn”. Heads up that the page is in Dutch. 🙂