One Man’s Waste

It’s shocking to see the amount of yard waste put out to the curb for trash pickup every week. Call me cheap, but I prefer to put waste to work by converting it to an inexpensive, slow-release soil amendment called compost.

If you’re interested in composting, I suggest checking with your municipality to see if there are any ordinances regulating the practice. If neighbors seem a bit apprehensive about your new project, don’t fight them. Inform them. A little education should go a long way toward alleviating their fears.

Next, decide what type of composting system you want to use. If neatness is not an issue, you can compost without a bin. Just pile the yard waste and let it begin decomposing. However, most urban and suburbanite composters construct some type of bin — or as many as three of them — to contain and hide their efforts.

Bins make the process easier to manage. You can build them from cinder blocks, wooden pallets, wire fencing or lumber. Whatever material you choose, plan to make the container at least 3 feet high on each side. Smaller piles tend to dry out and lose their heat rapidly. Larger ones can suffocate the microorganisms.

Think moderation when placing the compost heap in shade or sun. The latter warms up the pile in winter but dries it out in summer. If it’s an either/or choice, however, go for the sun.

You also don’t want to locate a compost pile next to your home. Even a well-maintained heap will attract the occasional mouse and other decomposers, such as pill bugs, and you don’t want them migrating inside.

Do not add greasy kitchen scraps, such as bones, meat and cheese, or dog and cat manure to your compost pile. These materials will encourage insects and rodents as well as create the smell of rotting garbage. Eggshells, corn, salad and the kids’ uneaten broccoli are fine, though they, too, may initially attract scavengers. To keep this from happening, bury them 6 inches in the pile.

Good materials for composting can be divided into two large groups: material with lots of carbon, usually dry or brown materials such as papers, straw and wood chips and materials with lots of nitrogen, usually green or wet grass clippings and weeds as well as horse, cow or rabbit manure.

The organisms that decompose the wastes need a balanced diet of carbon and nitrogen. You may not be able to provide the perfect balance at all times, but if you avoid thick layers and mix materials as you add them, the wastes should decompose nicely. If they seem dry to the touch, add water. They should have the moisture content of a wrung-out sponge — damp but not wet.

Compost is finished and ready to use when it is loose, crumbly and moist and no longer resembles the original material. It can be added to gardens or container plants, providing a source of slow-release nutrients. Best of all, you made it yourself and it’s practically free.