Hot Composting vs. Cold Composting

What is Hot Composting?

Hot Composting is a great way to make lots of rich organic compost fast - typically in 30-90 days.

There are many different composting methods. However, to establish if hot composting for home gardeners has any benefits over other composting methods, such as cold composting or food waste digestion, you need to first establish your composting objectives and know the benefits of hot vs. cold composting shown on below table.

Here are some examples:

• Do you want to make lots of rich/great compost for your garden that will improve its fertility and lessen/reduce your use of fertilizer and maybe even peat?
• Do you just want to keep the garden tidy?
• Do you want to make a more positive contribution to the environment by recycling all your food waste so your local council no longer has to collect and transport it to landfill or a central reprocessing plant?
• Are you just fed up with allocating more and more of your flower or vegetable patch to overflowing compost bins that never seem to do anything?
• Do you only have seasonal waste, or do you also have regular weekly amounts of food waste all year round

Benefits of hot composting over cold composting:

• The right hot composting system will work all year round 
• Hot Composting can take a wider variety of food waste types without causing issues.
• Hot composting kills weed seeds faster. 
• Hot composting kills pathogens and unwelcome bacteria.
• Herbicides and pesticides are broken down 32 times faster in hot composters than in cold composters.
• A hot compost heap rarely produces putrid odors. Hot bin composters kill fly eggs & larvae, and are too hot at the top for ants, rats, and other animals.

 (Click to view or download full Hot vs. Cold Composting Benefits PDF)