WHY COMPOST?
Yard waste makes up 20-30% of the solid waste of most municipalities throughout the United States, while food waste makes up another 8-9%. The cost of collecting, hauling and handling yard waste is often a large part of the budget associated with municipal solid waste management, averaging 20% of the budget and increasing to as much as 50% when grass clippings and leaves are handled.

In 1993, New Hampshire passed a law that prohibits the landfilling or incineration of leaf and yard waste materials.

BENEFITS 

Is a waste prevention measure. It reduces, at its source, the amount of organic material that needs to be collected, managed and transported by the City.

Saves you money by reducing the need for lawn bags and commercial soil additives

Is a valuable soil conditioner that helps your garden and lawn by improving the fertility and health of your soil

Helps save water by helping the soil hold moisture and reduce water runoff

Benefits the environment by recycling valuable organic resources

Extends the life of landfills

BACKYARD COMPOSTING

What is compost?
Composting is nature’s way of recycling. Composting is a natural process of decomposition of organic material into a rich soil amendment.

What can I compost?
Use the following lists as a guide to composting. To produce the best quality compost, material thicker than one-quarter inch should be shredded or chopped.

YES  weeds leaves sawdust hay, straw wood ashes pine needles lawn clippings animal manures coffee grounds crushed eggshells shredded newspaper fruits and vegetables

NO oil meats bones plywood coal ashes pet wastes fatty foods dairy products colored newspaper pressure treated wood anything not biodegradable

How can I use compost?
Compost can be applied to enrich the flower and vegetable garden, to top-dress the lawn, and as mulch around trees and shrubs. Houseplants and planter boxes will benefit from combining compost with the potting soil. Before using, it is best to sift the compost through a one-half inch mesh hardware cloth. The remaining coarse material may then be put back into a new compost pile.

Heavy clay or light sandy soil will benefit most from the addition of compost. Apply a two-inch layer on the soil surface and thoroughly work it into the upper six to eight inches of soil.

How does composting work?
Biology – Organic waste material is layered up and decomposes through the actions of soil microorganisms. They start the process of decaying matter by breaking down plant tissue. Soon, fungi and protozoans join in and later centipedes, millipedes, beetles and earthworms do their part. These microorganisms work best when sufficient oxygen, moisture and nitrogen are supplied.

Materials – Anything growing in the yard, leaves, weeds, grass clippings, kitchen waste (except meat, bones, dairy products, and fatty foods) are potential food for the tiny microorganisms working in the pile.

Surface area – Material decomposes faster if the microorganisms have more surfaces with which to work. Chopping garden waste with a shovel, running it through a shredding machine or lawnmower, speeds its composting.

Size – The ideal size for the pile is four feet wide and four feet high by any convenient length. Smaller piles have trouble holding heat and larger piles may have aeration difficulties.

Moisture and Aeration – The microbes work best when the pile is as moist as a wrung out sponge and has plenty of air passages. Too much sun will dry out the pile and too much water will make it soggy.

Time and Temperature – The hotter the pile, the faster the composting. Ideal composting temperatures range from 100o F – 140oF. With proper amounts of water, air and materials, compost can be made in 2-3 months.

Carbon to Nitrogen (C/N) Ratio – All living organisms need relatively large amounts of the element carbon and smaller amounts of nitrogen. To speed composting, combine carbon-rich ‘brown” materials such as leaves with nitrogen-rich “green” materials such as grass clippings. The ideal compost combination is thirty parts carbon to one part nitrogen.

Composters You Can Build

Barrel Composter

Wire Mesh Composter

Wood and Wire Composter

Symptoms	Problems	Solutions
Bad odor	Not enough air, pile too wet	Turn it, add coarse material such as straw, corn stalks, etc.
Center of pile is dry	Not enough water, and too much woody material	Turn, moisten, add fresh green wastes, chop coarse waste
Compost is damp and warm only in the middle	Pile is too small	Add more material, mix old ingredients into new pile
Pile is damp and sweet-smelling, but won't heat up	Lack of nitrogen	Add fresh grass clippings, fresh manure, bloodmeal, or ammonium sulfate
Pest problems; birds, animals, rats, dogs, etc.	Undesirable food wastes	Remove any fish, meats, bones or dairy products. Cover or bury vegetable scraps.