What is Composting? What You Should Compost Composting Without a Yard

Composting is a controlled process of Yard wastes such as leaves, grass clippings and Composting can be done indoors using an decomposition of organic material. Naturally weeds make excellent compost. All fruit and earthworm farm. Not only can you recycle your occurring soil organisms recycle nitrogen, vegetable scraps, plus food wastes such as coffee food scraps, you can also have a steady supply of potash, phosphorus, and other plant nutrients grounds, tea bags, and eggs shells can be fishing bait! For more information, call DEP's as they convert the material into humus. composted. To keep animals and odors out of Recycling Program. your pile, do not add meat, bones, fatty food wastes (such as cheese, grease and oils), dog and Benefits of Composting cat litter, and diseased plants. Do not add invasive weeds and weeds that have gone to Elements of a Good Composting is a convenient, beneficial and seed. inexpensive way to handle your organic waste Compost Pile Use approximately three parts "brown" material to one part "green" material to optimize the and help the environment. Composting: How to Use Compost composting process and prevent odors from ◆ developing. This recipe will yield finished reduces the volume of garbage requiring When the composted materials look like rich, With these principles in mind, you can convert compost in three to eight months. Leaves alone disposal; brown soil, it is ready to use. Apply one-half to your organic wastes into resources by turning break down in six to 15 months. Grass clippings three inches of finished compost and mix it in your spoils to soil. or food scraps composted alone result in ◆ saves money for you and your community with the top four inches of soil about one unpleasant odors because they contain more in reduced soil purchases and reduced local month before planting. Compost can be applied The Biodegraders nitrogen than the compost organisms can use. disposal costs; and as a top dressing in the garden throughout the Nature has provided an army of workers who Mix leaves, straw, or shredded newspaper with summer. Compost is excellent for reseeding specialize in decomposing organic material. These green material, or let it dry until it turns brown ◆ enriches the soil. Using compost adds lawns, and it can be spread one-quarter inch “critters” — bacteria, fungi, molds, earthworms, before composting it alone. insects and other soil organisms — eat all types of essential nutrients, improves soil structure, deep over the entire lawn to rejuvenate the turf. Air which allows better root growth, and To make potting soil, mix equal parts compost, organic material and in the process convert nutrients into a form plants can utilize. Without The compost critters need oxygen, just as we do. increases moisture and nutrient retention in sand and loam. You may put the compost those compost critters, we would be surrounded Lack of oxygen will slow down the composting through a screen to remove large particles – the soil. Plants love compost! by mountains of leaves and the soil would be process and cause odors. Turn your pile, fluff it these can go back into the pile. barren. The process of composting is simply a with a hoe or compost turning tool, or build air matter of providing the soil organisms with food, passages into the pile with cornstalks to provide Mulching water and oxygen. They do the rest. oxygen to the organisms.

Grass clippings, leaves and woody yard wastes Organic Material Moisture can be used as mulch in gardens and around Organic material contains varying amounts of Compost organisms need a moist environment. shrubs to keep the soil moist, control weed carbon and nitrogen which nourish the organisms The pile should be as damp as a wrung-out naturally present in your compost pile. (Billions growth and add nutrients. Woody materials sponge, but not dripping wet. Make sure leaves of bacteria inhabit the surface of every leaf and are damp when you add them to the compost should be chipped or shredded. Use a mulch of blade of grass in your yard.) The critters need pile because they will not break down if they are pine needles around acid-loving plants. Leaves both carbon and nitrogen. An easy way to provide dry. Since moisture evaporates as the pile heats will work first as mulch, then as a soil enricher both of these is to remember that brown, woody up (a sign of active composting), let rain and as they decompose. Grass clippings should be materials, such as autumn leaves, are high in snow replace it, or add water during dry spells. A dried before using as mulch. Do not mulch with carbon while green, moist materials, such as grass cover helps retain moisture in hot weather. grass clippings which have been treated with clippings, are high in nitrogen (refer to the table herbicides; composting them first, however, will on the back of this brochure). break down most herbicides. Composting There are as many different How To Make a Compost Pile composting time. Save several Turn spoils into soil... ways to make compost as bags of leaves to add in the spring Bins there are people who do it. The and summer when "browns" are following guidelines will get you started, but soon your scarce. own experience will help you tailor a method that best fits your needs. 4. Add water as you build the pile if the materials are dry. Keep the composting material damp or it will not 1. Build or purchase a compost bin. Check to decompose. New Age Composter see if your community has a composting bin distribution program, or order from a garden catalogue, 5. As time goes on, keep oxygen available to the The New Age Composter nursery or hardware store. Enclosed compost piles keep compost critters by fluffing the pile with a hoe or (shown) and Earth out pests, hold heat and moisture in, and have a neat compost turning tool each time you add material. A appearance. Or, bins can be simply made of wire, Machine Composter are complete turning of the pile — so the top becomes the rodent-resistant bins wood, pallets, concrete blocks, even garbage cans with bottom — in spring and fall should result in finished distributed through DEP's drainage holes drilled in them. In urban areas, rodent- compost within a year. More frequent turning will recycling grant program. resistant compost bins — having a secure cover and shorten the composting time. floor and openings no wider than one-half inch — must be used. High Nitrogen High Carbon A guide for "Green" Ingredients "Brown" Ingredients Turning Bins 2. Set up the bin in a convenient, shady area with composting • grass clippings • autumn leaves good drainage. A pile that is about three feet square and yard and food • weeds • straw three feet high will help maintain the heat generated by waste • food wastes: fruit & • cornstalks the composting organisms throughout the winter. vegetables, coffee • paper/cardboard: Although a smaller pile may not retain heat, it will grounds, tea bags, egg paper towels, compost. shells napkins, bags, plates, • manure (cow, horse, coffee filters, tissue 3. Start the pile with a layer of coarse material such chicken, rabbit) and newspaper A series of three or more bins allows you to as corn stalks to build in air passages. Add alternating • seaweed • wood chips make compost in a short time by turning the layers of "brown" and "green" materials and mix them • alfalfa hay/meal • saw dust materials on a regular schedule. together. Sprinkle with soil every 12 inches. Be sure to • blood meal • pine needles bury food scraps in the center of the pile. If you don't have "brown" and "green" materials on hand at the Barrel Bin same time, build your pile with "browns" and mix in "greens" as they become available. Shred leaves or run Where to Get These bins can easily be made over them with a lawn mower to shorten the More Information from plastic garbage cans. In cooperation with the Massachusetts DEP, the The Commonwealth of Prepared by the Massachusetts State of Connecticut has produced a video entitled Massachusetts Wire Bin Department of Environmental Protection, Public Affairs Office, Turning Your Spoils to Soils, which is available in most local libraries in Massachusetts. DEP's Executive Office of Wire bins can also One Winter Street, Boston, MA Recycling Program also provides technical assistance Environmental Affairs be made for 02108, April 2000. Printed on and reference materials on composting, and can be composting. 100% post-consumer recycled paper. reached at (617) 292-5834. Or, visit our website at Department of Graphics courtesy of the Massachusetts Audubon Society and Seattle Solid Waste Utility. www.state.ma.us/dep Environmental Protection