Creating a school compost

Prep work

• Sourcing the materials for composting bins 
• Prepare for 1-2 hours for setup and ongoing maintenance

Competences/activities to be practiced first by the teacher

• Basic knowledge of composting principles

Steps in the activity

1. Building the compost bin/structure
2. Depositing waste
3. Maintenance and follow-up
4. Using the compost

Step 1: Building the Compost Bin/Structure

1. Create or assemble a compost bin using wood pallets or other materials, ensuring airflow through slats or holes. The bin should have three main sections: one for depositing new waste, one for active composting, and one for finished compost.
2. Explain the importance of layering green and brown materials, keeping the compost moist but not soggy, and turning it regularly to introduce oxygen.

Step 2: Depositing Waste

1. Involve learners in regularly depositing organic waste from school lunches (e.g., fruit peels, vegetable scraps) into the compost. Remind them to add brown materials (like leaves or cardboard) to maintain a good balance.
2. Teach learners which materials can and cannot be composted (e.g., no meat, dairy, or oily foods).

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Students add cardboard and stir the school compost bin. Photo by Carmelo Zamora, REAL School Budapest.

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Step 3: Maintenance and Follow-up

1. Schedule regular turning of the compost with a shovel or pitchfork to aerate it, helping to speed up the decomposition process (weekly or bi-weekly). 
2. Monitor the compost for the right conditions: warmth, moisture, and smell (it should not smell foul).
3. Once the compost is dark and crumbly (3-4 months approximately), it’s ready to be used in school gardens or flower beds.

Step 4: Using the Compost

1. Use the finished compost to enrich garden soil, fostering healthy plant growth. Discuss how this process contributes to carbon sequestration and soil regeneration, linking it back to climate resilience and sustainable land use.

Dos and Don’ts

Do

• Place the compost bin in a sunny spot to help with decomposition.
• Ensure the area is accessible to learners and staff but away from classrooms to avoid odors or pests.
• Keep the compost bins covered to prevent pests like rodents, insects, or stray animals from getting in.
• Place clear signs by the compost bin showing what can and cannot be composted. You can also label bins for food scraps, brown materials, and non-compostable items
• Optional: Form a team of learners, teachers, and possibly parents or staff who will be responsible for managing the compost system.

Don’t

• Don’t add meat, dairy, or oily foods, as they attract pests and slow decomposition.  Also, don’t add plastic, glass or metal as they can contaminate the compost. 
• Don’t add diseased plants or weeds with seeds, these can survive the composting process and spread diseases or weeds to your garden when the compost is used.

Adaptations

If learners are very young or have limited mobility, consider a worm bin (vermicomposting) as an alternative. This method is easier to manage and can be done indoors. Here you can check for more information on vermicomposting at school.

You can link the compost tool with creating and maintaining a permaculture garden (activity 5.1.2).

We invite you to adapt this activity to the specific needs of your learners, including by taking into account their neurodiversity. When adapting tools and activities for neurodivergent learners, please note it is not about treating others how you want to be treated, but how they want to be treated. Ask, listen, and stay open to different ways of learning and engaging. 

References

This activity was designed by REAL School Budapest.

Trautmann, N. M., & Krasny, M. E. (1998). Composting in the classroom: Scientific inquiry for high school students. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company.

If you would like a more in-depth guide for a school compost, we recommend you checking School Composting – Let’s Get Growing!  Guide from Cornell Waste Management Institute.