BACKYARD COMPOSTING YOUR GUIDE TO WHAT IS COMPOSTING? BACKYARD COMPOSTING

WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH ? • Amend your garden soil by working A typical household throws compost into it away approximately • Sprinkle compost on your lawn to foster healthy and robust soil top- 474 pounds dressing of food per year, • Improve the soil around trees and or 1.3 pounds per person shrubs by spreading compost near the per day. WHAT IS COMPOSTING? base of the tree trunk Composting is the process of turning kitchen and yard waste into usable, nutrient rich soil through natural decomposition. Inside the composter, organic waste is broken down through a controlled process by micro organisms. By WHERE SHOULD YOU PUT YOUR BACKYARD COMPOSTER? utilizing the correct material, these micro organisms will create a soil product • Place The Earth Machine on that is incredibly nutrient dense and great for your garden plants. exposed soil in a dry, shady or WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS moderately sunny spot that is OF COMPOSTING? near a source of clean water. • Diverts food and yard waste from • Use the four provided plastic the , leading to reduced screws to secure the backyard greenhouse gas emissions composter to the ground. • Creates an enriched soil which can of the municipal • Make sure it’s convenient to solid waste be used in your garden get to the composter, as you’ll stream is • Suppresses plant diseases and pests comprised be taking your food waste out • Saves you money by reducing the 24%of food waste and often! need for chemical fertilizer yard trimmings. and composting are good ways to keep material out of the landfilll. COMPOSTING 101 WHAT CAN I COMPOST? Composting requires a mix of nitrogen and carbon to create the proper environment for decomposition. such as food , bring nitrogen whereas brown waste, leaves and paper products, add carbon to the mix.

GREEN BROWN “NO” LIST

Fruit and vegetables Coffee grounds and filters Nuts, shells, bread, grains Meat, Bones Crushed egg shells Fats, grease, lard, oils

Tea bags Shredded newspaper Yard trimmings, leaves Dairy (butter, milk, eggs) & cardboard Dryer & vacuum cleaner lint Diseased plants Charcoal ashes

Toxic materials Grass clippings Hay, straw, wood chips Nonbiodegradable materials Houseplants Shredded cotton & wool rags Hair and fur Cat or dog waste, STEPS FOR COMPOSTING HARVESTING YOUR SOIL

HOW DO I COMPOST? Beginning a home composting project can be easy, fun and educational by following a few simple steps: 1. 4. ADD YARD WASTE

HOW DO I HARVEST THE SOIL? Compost can be harvested after about 4 to 6 months. You’ll know it’s ready when the soil is a crumbly moist texture and gives off an earthy aroma.

Chop, shred or tear items into SMALL HARVESTING LARGE HARVESTING smaller pieces. This will help speed Use the harvest door If you would like to up the decomposition process. at the base of The access the whole pile, Cover fresh food waste with a layer Earth Machine and simply unscrew the 2. KITCHEN COLLECTION of leaves, other dry yard trimmings, remove as much soil four anchoring screws or soil. as you need using and lift the container a shovel or garden over the pile. Place STIR AND HARVEST trowel. any large and intact 5. food scraps back in The Earth Machine to begin the next composting cycle. Line your container with newspaper TROUBLESHOOTING YOUR PILE to soak up liquids, and when you PROBLEM CAUSE SOLUTION empty the bin into the composter Rotten egg smell Insufficient air or too much Turn pile and incorporate the newspaper can go along with it! moisture coarse browns (sawdust, leaves) Periodically stir the container to Ammonia smell Too much nitrogen Incorporate coarse browns aerate the compost and encourage 3. EMPTY INTO COMPOSTER Pile does not heat up or Pile too small Add more organic matter decomposition. After a few months, decomposes slowly Insufficient moisture Turn pile and add water Whenever the bin is full, simply the soil will be ready for harvest. Lack of nitrogen Incorporate food waste empty the container with the Your compost should be the Not enough air Turn pile newspaper into The Earth Machine. moisture of a wrung-out sponge. Cold weather Increase pile size of insulate YOUR GUIDE TO RECYCLERECYCLING LOCALLY LOCALLY The City of Orlando uses single streamTogether, recycling, we can so make put alla di‹erence. LOCALLYPlease help us to recycle everything possible. Please help us to recycle everything possible. of your recyclables into the cart! LargeTogether, boxes we can can get make stuck a di‹erence. JuntosPlease podemoshelp us to hacer recycle una everything diferencia. possible. Por favor, and cause recycling to stay in your cart.Juntosayúdanos Break podemos a reciclar boxes hacer todo down una lo posible.diferencia. Por favor, so they come out of the cart easily. Itemsayúdanos accepted: a reciclar todo lo posible.

O‹ice Paper, Brown Paper Steel, Tin & Aluminum Cans Plastic Bottles & Containers #1-5, 7 Bags, Newspapers O‹ice Paper, Brown Paper Latas de acero, hojalata y alumino Botellas y envases de plástico Bolsas de papel marrón, papeles de Steel, Tin & Aluminum Cans Plastic Bottles & Containers #1-5, 7 oficinaBags, no confidenciales, Newspapers periódicos Latas de acero, hojalata y alumino Botellas y envases de plástico Bolsas de papel marrón, papeles de oficina no confidenciales, periódicos

Paper Cardboard, Dairy & Flattened Cardboard & Junk Mail & Magazines Juice Containers Paperboard Revistas, correspondencia no Paper Cardboard, Dairy & Flattened Cardboard & Junk Mail & Magazines Envases de papel cartón, Cartón y cartulina aplastados solicitada Juice Containers Paperboard Revistas, correspondencia no productos lácteos y jugos KeepEnvases food de waste, papel cart plasticón, bags,Cart polystyreneón y cartulina aplastados foam cups & containers,solicitada aluminum productos lácteos y jugos pans and other plastic film out of the recycling cart. Plastic bags harm recycling machinery, empty the recycling directly into the cart.

NO INCLUYA: Comida desechada, bolsas de plastico o vasos y contendores de goma de poliestireno

ToNO order INCLUYA: recycling Comida carts desechada, and dumpsters, bolsas de or plastico for more o vasos information y contendores de goma de poliestireno please email [email protected]. To order recycling carts and dumpsters, or for more information please email [email protected].

Solid Waste Division, 1028 Woods Avenue, Orlando, FL 32805 407.246.2314 • 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday – Friday [email protected] • cityoforlando.net/solidwaste