Composting_at_Home.pdf

Composting

A T H O M E

R o b e r t R y n k & M i c h a e l C o l t

I ntrod ucti on

Composting is a simple, rewarding way to recycle yard trimmings

and food scraps at home while creating compost, a valuable soil

amendment for gardens and lawns.

Food scraps and yard trimmings, such as leaves, grass clippings,

garden debris, and brush, make up over 20% of a typical

household’s solid wastes. When treated as trash, these materials

increase the cost of collecting and handling community solid

wastes. In the landfill, they consume valuable space and create

potential pollutants such as leachate and methane gas. By

composting at home, you help to reduce the cost and environmen-

tal risks of managing solid waste materials.

But equally important, yard trimmings and food scraps contain

valuable soil-building nutrients and organic compounds which

nature normally recycles through the decay process. By

composting organic materials, you can accomplish the same thing.

Compost is easy to handle and rich in organic matter. It is prized by

gardeners and landscapers as a soil amendment, mulch, and

source of plant nutrients.

Composting at Home explains the benefits and basics of backyard

composting. It covers the composting process, the ingredients and

methods for building a compost pile, how to manage it, and how to

use compost. You will find enough information here to start and

manage a composting pile. A list of suggested reading and

Web sites is included if you wish to learn more about this

simple and beneficial process.

COMPOSTING

FOR NON -

GARDENERS

OR IN

SMALL SPACES

Nearly anyone can practice composting—it is not just for garden-

ers. In fact, you do not need to use compost yourself to benefit

from composting. As long as you have food scraps or yard

trimmings, and you enjoy recycling, you will find composting

rewarding. Furthermore, composting can be done in small

spaces, as small as the corner of an apartment patio. Here are

some composting ideas for people who don’t have a garden or

large area for composting.

Other 9%

Plastics 9%

Paper 37%

Glass 8%

Metals 8%

Wood 7%

Food 7%

Yard trimmings 15%

Figure 1. Components of solid waste, percentage by weight (1993)

If you do not have a garden:

• Reduce the amount of organic material to be composted by

practicing grass recycling, mulching, or another form of source

reduction.

• Use your compost in the potting soil for your potted plants.

• Apply compost to your lawn as a topdressing. A thin layer of

screened compost spread evenly over the lawn surface will

work its way into the soil and improve the turf.

• Use your compost to make “compost tea” to fertilize your house

plants or lawn.

• Give compost away to your gardening friends and neighbors,

or donate it to a community gardening project.

If you have little space for composting:

• Reduce the amount of organic material to be composted by

practicing grass recycling, mulching, or another form of source

reduction.

• Use a composting bin or tumbler that holds the material in a

compact area.

• Manage the composting process closely, and turn the material

frequently, to produce compost in the minimum time possible.

Faster composting will reduce the amount of the space

needed.

• If you have many food scraps but few yard trimmings, try worm

composting. A worm bin uses less space than a conventional

composting bin and generally produces less compost.

• Give some or all of the organic materials from your household

to a neighbor or friend who composts, or work with your

neighbor or friend to produce compost together, sharing

materials, labor, and space.

Com p ost Ha p p ens

Understanding the composting process

Composting is a natural biological process carried out by a vast

number and variety of decomposer organisms. Naturally occurring

microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi, account for most of

the decomposition. Larger organisms, including insects and

earthworms, also break down the materials, especially in the later

stages of the process. The organisms responsible for composting

consume organic materials and oxygen in order to grow and

reproduce. In the process, they produce carbon dioxide, water

vapor, and heat. From start to finish, the composting materials

change from a diverse mixture of individual ingredients, such as

leaves, stems, and fruit, to a uniform soil-like material called com-

post (sometimes referred to as humus).

People intervene in this natural decay process to create and

maintain a good environment for the decomposer organisms, and

thereby accelerate the process. How well or how much you man-

age the process influences the composting time, the qualities of the

compost, and what problems may or may not develop. Therefore, it

is helpful to understand the factors that affect composting.

Factors that affect composting

Aeration and oxygen Composting is an aerobic process; that

is, it requires oxygen. The desired decomposers need oxygen to

work their magic. The oxygen consumed during composting must

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