Fall Compost Refresher :: WP 88.7FM
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Here come the leaves! While you’re out picking up Mother Nature’s doin’s, take the opportunity to give back to your soil by composting. At the most basic, you can use a mulching lawnmower to mow your way to a healthier yard (and save yourself some backbreaking labor). With a little more effort you can collect your leaves to use as your “Browns” stock all year long. The golden rule of compost is 50% Greens / 50% Browns layered together like a lasagna. Sprinkle in finished compost as the “Cheese” to get things started. Whenever you add food waste (Greens) add a shovel full of your leaves (Browns) to control smells and insects. Turn once a week.
Yard trimmings and food residuals together constitute 23 percent of the U.S. waste stream, as documented by EPA. An estimated 56.9 percent of yard trimmings were recovered for composting or grasscycled in 2000, a dramatic increase from the 12 percent recovery rate in 1990.
What to Compost – The IN List
- Animal manure
- Cardboard rolls
- Clean paper
- Coffee grounds and filters
- Cotton rags
- Dryer and vacuum cleaner lint
- Eggshells
- Fireplace ashes
- Fruits and vegetables
- Grass clippings
- Hair and fur
- Hay and straw
- Houseplants
- Leaves
- Nut shells
- Sawdust
- Shredded newspaper
- Tea bags
- Wood chips
- Wool rags
- Yard trimmings
What Not to Compost – The OUT List
Leave Out/Reason Why
- Black walnut tree leaves or twigs
- Releases substances that might be harmful to plants
- Coal or charcoal ash
- Might contain substances harmful to plants
- Dairy products (e.g., butter, egg yolks, milk,
sour cream, yogurt)- Create odor problems and attract pests such as
rodents and flies
- Create odor problems and attract pests such as
- Diseased or insect-ridden plants
- Diseases or insects might survive and be transferred
back to other plants
- Diseases or insects might survive and be transferred
- Fats, grease, lard, or oils
- Create odor problems and attract pests such as
rodents and flies
- Create odor problems and attract pests such as
- Meat or fish bones and scraps
- Create odor problems and attract pests such as
rodents and flies
- Create odor problems and attract pests such as
- Pet wastes (e.g., dog or cat feces, soiled cat
litter)- Might contain parasites, bacteria, germs, pathogens,
and viruses harmful to humans
- Might contain parasites, bacteria, germs, pathogens,
- Yard trimmings treated with chemical
pesticides- Might kill beneficial composting organismsThis list thanks to:
http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/rrr/composting/basic.htm
