Build your own compost bin

 
DIY compost.jpg

Build your own compost bin

Prepare your class before they take part in building their own compost bin

Programme outline: 90 to 120 minutes

Students will engage in a discussion about what composting is and why it might be a good alternative to getting rid of organic waste. They will look at to how decomposition takes place and what kinds of conditions best suit the micro (and macro) organisms that live inside a compost heap. Following this will be a hands-on tutorial on how to build a compost bin out of recycled pallets that students can do themselves at school or with their families at home. Finally, the students are introduced to good composting practice through an interactive activity.

Some pre-workshop activities for your class

  • Survey the class to find out how many students have compost bins at home.

  • Have your students research the following questions:

    • Why is composting a good idea?

    • What do we put in our compost?

    • What is the difference between organic and inorganic waste?

    • What happens inside a compost bin?

  • Call the local landfill and find out how much organic waste gets thrown away instead of being composted every week.

  • What are the different options people might have to compost if they live in the city and don’t have a garden?

  • Think about ways that students could reduce the amount of food waste that they throw out in the first place. Check out LoveFoodHateWaste.co.nz and try out one of their clever food-saving recipes

Immediately after starting your compost bin

  • Make some predictions to check in one month and six months time:

  • How long will it take to turn into humus?

  • What kinds of animals might be attracted to the compost?

  • What will it smell like?

    • Design posters and flyers encouraging students to compost.

    • Look at the classroom’s waste at the end of every day for a week.

    • Does composting make a difference? Make graphs and diagrams to display the percentages and proportions of the different types of waste the class produces.

One month after starting your compost bin

  • Do a vertical survey of the compost. Take samples from different levels and describe the state of decomposition.

  • Draw a diagram of the results.

  • Look at the classroom’s waste again. Has there been a change in how much waste is going to the landfill?

  • Look at different countries around the world. Do they do composting differently?

Six months after starting your compost bin

  • Start a class garden using the humus from the compost.

  • Look again at your class’s waste and compare it with what it was like six months ago. Display the differences using diagrams and graphs.

  • Write a story about what the world would be like if... Everyone composted as much as they could or... What if no one composted at all?

+ Curriculum Links

  • Science (Nature of Science + Living World + Planet Earth and Beyond)
  • Social Studies
  • Technology (Technological Practice + Nature of Technology)
  • Health and Physical Education (Healthy Communities and environments)

+ Key Competencies

  • Managing Self
  • Participating and Contributing
  • Thinking
  • Relating to others

+ What can I compost?

  • Fruit and vegetable scraps
  • Citrus
  • Garlic/onions/spicy food
  • Coffee grinds and tea bags
  • Newspaper
  • Brown cardboard
  • Unbleached paper towels
  • Dairy
  • Cooking oils (not motor!)
  • Green waste like leaves or grass
  • Products labelled ‘compostable’
  • Crushed-up egg shells

+ What can’t I compost?

  • Inorganic waste
  • Meat
  • Fish
  • Fabric
  • Bleached paper
  • Waxy coated cardboard
  • Animal poo
 
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