COMPOST IT! What is composting? Fruit and vegetable scraps Houseplants Backyard Green plant trimmings Weeds that have not gone to seed Coffee grounds and filters or tea bags Bread, pasta, cereal Composting Hair Grass clippings Wilted flowers

Dry leaves Compost is a dark brown, earthy, crumbly Hay or Straw material made of decomposed organic matter. Wood chips Sawdust (use sparingly) Maine Department of Environmental Benefits of Composted Material Dryer lint Protection Guide to Home Composting When added to soil, compost improves soil Dried grass clippings porosity and water retention, and provides Shredded cardboard or paper (mix plants with essential nutrients. well to prevent matting)

Composting diverts organic materials from the waste stream and our landfills! KEEP IT OUT! How does Material Decompose? Millions of microorganisms work to break down Meat, Fish, Dairy products organic material. We can speed up composting Fats, Oils, Peanut butter by managing the process. Mayonaise, Salad dressing Dog or cat waste Contact us Wood or charcoal ash Maine Department of Environmental Protection Grass clippings from herbicide treated lawns Sustainability Division Glass, Plastic, Metal, or Non-organic materials 207-592-0455

www.maine.gov/dep/sustainability How do I start Building the pile

a compost pile? Step 1 Step 2 Gather Your Materials Start by picking a location. Loosen the soil where you will place your compost. You may Have a shovel, pitchfork, and garden Look for an area that is: also want to pile a 4” to 6” -hose ready to mix materials and  Well -drained and close to level layer of twigs on top of the add moisture as you build! You soil to encourage airflow at should have enough material ready  In partial shade, to help with water retention the bottom of the pile. to build a 3 ft X 3ft X 3ft pile. Or fill a 4’ tall by 4’ diameter mesh  At least 1 -foot away from walls, fences, cylinder. bushes, trees etc.  A convenient spot to place materials and to get the end product to its final location Step 3 Make a composting- Browns sandwich! Starting with brown materials, alternate Greens layers of ‘greens’ and Browns ‘browns,’ mixing materials Greens and adding water as you go. Bury food scraps in the Browns center of the pile, and Twigs Image courtesy Kristy Hall, Flickr finish with a brown layer. Step 5 What tools will I need? Without adding new materials, your compost should be ready These tools may help get you started: to add to your garden in about a year. Watching your garden  Compost bin flourish from the compost you  Pitchfork (compost turner) Step 4 have created is worth all of the You can add to a well work you put into it!  Chipper/shredder maintained compost pile year-  Wheelbarrow (for transport) round. Mixing the ingredients periodically with a shovel or  Garden hose heavy pitchfork will help  4’ X 12’ Sturdy coated wire mesh (to form speed up the composting cylinder to contain compost pile, if desired) process.