What is composting?
Composting is a natural process by which any organic material, such as food waste or lawn trimmings, is broken down by bacteria and fungus in the soil. You can make compost almost anywhere, even in your own backyard, but we use dumpsters to prevent runoff and mitigate pests and odors. The result is a nutrient-rich soil amendment that looks a lot like soil itself.
What can I compost?
Leaves, grass, fruits, vegetables, coffee grounds and nonplastic tea bags, small amounts of meat, unbleached paper, newspaper, untreated cardboard, breads, beer, and other plant derived scraps. Some techniques of composting are capable of integrating meat and bones, but we do not currently include large quantities of meat, dairy or oils, because we want to reduce pests that could spread disease. We’ve put together an infographic to help you out. If you’re not sure about a certain item, we’re happy to answer your question.
One request: Some items that are technically biodegradable are not necessarily easy to compost. For instance, those little green bags that are labeled as compostable take longer than one three- or four-month cycle to break down, and the bag pieces catch on the tines of our volunteers’ pitchforks when we aerate the mixture. If you like to collect your food scraps in those bags, please empty them into our bucket before pickup, and toss the empty bags into your regular trash bin.
See our composing infographic poster for more details about what compost we can accept.
How can I use compost?
Composting can be used anywhere you grow plants! See our How to Use Compost page for more ideas.
Why is composting important?
- The USDA reported that in 2010, more than 130 billion pounds of food went to waste. By composting we are taking the food scraps and capturing most of the unused nutrients into rich, fertile compost (USDA).
- By reducing the amount of waste that sits in landfills we can prevent noxious, smelly gas build up which results in anaerobic micro-organism activity.
- Creating a fertile, nutrient-rich soil (compost) from waste, saves you money long term by getting full use of your uneaten food scraps.
What can compost do for you?
- Composting provides healthy soil which is a great addition to any personal or community garden.
- By recycling your food scraps you reduce the amount of waste which means fewer garbage bags per week.
- Lighter bags means less chance of rips or tears, it also means that your garbage will not be as smelly.
Resources and further readings…
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/07/american-food-waste/491513/
https://www.usda.gov/oce/foodwaste/faqs.htm
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/18/americans-waste-food-fruit-vegetables-study
http://www.smcsustainability.org/waste-reduction/composting/
http://www.ecochem.com/t_compost_faq2.html
https://waste.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/212349927-What-is-Composting-
“Composting for a new generation: Latest techniques for the bin and beyond” by Michelle Balz
“Let it rot! The gardener’s guide to composting” by Stu Campbell
…And many more!
