Garden DIY: compost box

If you are looking for a great way to increase your eco-friendly household processes and reduce costs, composting as part of garden DIY can be a great way to cover both concerns.

Installing a compost box and initiating a green-waste routine before the winter weather sets in may mean that in a few months you could have a fully-functioning fertilising system ready and waiting.

Your hungry garden or the evergreen trees in your front yard can both benefit from the food it will produce .

Keep a scraps container in your kitchen for discarding vege, fruit and other food waste - basically any organic matter - to be dumped in the backyard box when it fills up.

Plastic ice cream containers, paint cans and small rubbish bins can work well, but make sure they are either covered or kept inside a cupboard as smells can begin to emanate if the container is not emptied regularly.

For the installation of the box itself, more specialised equipment will be needed. Drills, lifts, sanders or earth moving machines may help with preparing the land and materials for construction.

Hiring these items can be easier on your budget than buying them - storing and maintaining large machines can also be a hassle which hiring can take care of.

Save material costs by using recycled pallets for the structure of your box, and make sure to include a hinged door - at the side or on top - to allow dumping of your organic matter.