Deter rats, possums and other pests from your compost

A compost system that’s working well shouldn’t attract any pests. Rats, possums, flies and other pests are a nuisance caused by either the composting process going awry or a recent waste addition.

What can go wrong to attract pests?

Pests track their food through smell, which may be faint and barely detectable by you. The most common causes of smell that draws pests to your compost are:

• Your wastes aren’t getting enough oxygen, for example by poor mixing of a traditional compost bin.
• Your compost is soggy due to an excess of (wet) nitrogen waste and a lack of (dry) carbon waste.
• You put food waste in a compost system which isn’t designed to handle it.

Following your compost system’s operating instructions gives the best chance for pest-free composting.

Use the most suitable compost bin

Traditional compost bins such as the bottomless types and tumblers are well suited to garden waste. With limited ability to handle kitchen scraps, problems with pests can arise if you aren’t careful with the types and amounts of food scraps added.

Bioverter is differentiated by its unique ability to recycle kitchen scraps as your main waste. It works nicely as a companion to garden compost bins (bottomless bins and tumblers), as each system handles different types of waste. This is a simpler way to deter pests from your compost.