Composting is a very easy way to eliminate yard waste and kitchen scraps from going to our Landfill. In order to properly compost, you need to balance your "ingredients". You want to have enough carbon materials-Browns (leaves, shredded paper) and enough nitrogen materials-Greens (grass, vegetable scraps). Please see the list below for materials from your kitchen and materials from your yard. Alternate your layers of browns & greens. This will ensure that you have the right balance of materials. Also, make sure your compost bin is moist...only as much as a wrung out sponge. If the material in your bin is too wet or too dry, composting will still happen, but at a much SLOWER pace.
If you are active in the process, composting can happen in approximately 2-3 months. However, you don't need to do anything! If you produce a lot of yard trash, follow the basic composting procedure (alternate your layers) and form a big pile. Over a period of 9-16 months, this material will slowly breakdown on its own as you increase the layers. The resultant compost will be a great amendment to your soil, eliminating the need for fertilizers.
Your Recipe for Composting Success:
Greens from your Kitchen:
Fruit Scraps
Veggie Scraps and Peels
Household Plant Cuttings
Coffee Grounds
Rice & Pasta (Without sauce, oils or butter)
Egg Shells (rinsed)
Tea Bags
Browns from your Kitchen:
Coffee Filters
Stale Bread (without butter or jelly)
Paper Napkins
Paper Towels
Dryer Lint
Hair
Shredded Newspaper
Greens from your Yard:
Flowers
Vegetables
Plant Trimmings
Hedge Clippings
Grass (small amounts)
Browns from your Yard:
Leaves
Straw or Hay
Small Twigs/Chips
Dried Grass & Weeds
DON'T COMPOST THE FOLLOWING ITEMS:
Meat
Fish
Bones
Dairy Products
Oils or Fats
Sauces
Ashes
Pet Waste
Diseased Plants
Mature Weeds with Seeds
