Learn more about compost tumbling

Compost tumblers have significant advantages over other composting methods like    heaps and bins.
The regular tumbling of the contents of the tumbler enables mixing and aeration of the contents which is beneficial for the composting process. By tumbling, new material is     combined with older material and oxygen is distributed throughout the contents, which is required by bacteria and microbes for aerobic decomposition to take place. Being a closed shell, heat is retained, which also helps to speed up the composting process.
‘Compost tumbling is convenient, more compact and tidy,’ says Lisa de Speville, responsible for the sales and marketing of Yolo Colours. Their unit also has a lockable latch to make it monkey proof Z an essential feature in any town.
Yolo Colours was exhibited at the Decorex Show at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg from 9 Z 13 August. ‘Decorex was a very valuable experience for us. We  spoke to hundreds of people over the five days of the show and learned about their composting attempts, methods, issues and needs,’ de Speville says.
‘It was very refreshing to discover how conscious people are becoming about waste. They’re separating their trash, recycling plastics, glass, metal and paper and they’re trying to reduce the waste they bring into their homes and the waste they put out for trash collection.’
She adds that composting is a critical part of the process of reducing the waste that gets sent to landfill and that it turns organic waste from the kitchen and garden into something useful.
Putting your garden refuse out with the trash is harmful to the environment. When organic material ends up in a landfill it decomposes anaerobically under layers of trash to release the harmful greenhouse gas methane.
Composting is a natural process that recycles organic material Z from grass cuttings and autumn leaves to fruit and vegetable peels and trimmings – and results in nutrient-rich compost that can be ploughed back into the soil.
‘From our conversations with people at the show, we have two composting myth-busters to share. Firstly, compost doesn’t smell bad. Balanced compost has a pleasant, earthy scent. Secondly, you don’t need to have a garden to compost. We all produce organic waste from our kitchens Z all those things that rot in your trash bin and make it smell. You can compost these to substantially reduce the volume of trash that you put out each week’
For those who do not have gardens, De Speville suggests giving your finished compost to friends or neighbours, digging it into the communal garden at your complex or sprinkling it around the base of the trees on your street.
‘The time is right. People are becoming   more environmentally aware and they’re making changes in their lives with regards to  waste. It has been my solution for the organic waste at home and I have no doubt that it will be a convenient composting solution for everyone else, too,’ de Speville adds.