Calling Barbers and Hairdressers - Human hair can be added to compost!
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Maintaining
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For any successful compost pile, it must comprise of the right kind of materials, and with the right balance.
Almost any organic material is suitable for composting, but the pile needs an equal ratio of;
Carbon rich materials - Browns
Nitrogen rich materials - Greens
Among the brown are "woody" materials. Dried leaves, straw, sawdust and wood chips for example. Nitrogen materials are fresh or green, things such as grass clippings and kitchen scraps.
Mixing certain types of materials or changing the proportions will alter the rate of decomposition. Achieving an ideal mix is more an art gained through experience than an exact science. The ideal ratio approaches 25 parts browns to 1 part greens. Judge the amounts roughly equal by weight. Too much carbon will cause the pile to break down too slowly, while too much nitrogen can cause odor. The carbon provides energy for the organisms, and the nitrogen provides protein.