Yard Waste Can Be Turned Into Compost or Mulch
Grass clippings, leaves, and trimmings make up 20% of landfill waste. Composting yard waste is a great way to reduce your contribution to the landfill and makes an economical fertilizer for the yard, garden, and household plants. To turn yard waste (and household food waste) into an amazing mulch and soil amendment, it must undergo a decomposition process. Adding large quantities of uncomposted leaves, grass, and trimmings to your soil of lawn can have negative effects. Making compost requires aeration, moisture, proper housing, and an ideal temperature. This is a recycling activity the whole family can participate in.
Turn your yard waste and organic materials into a gardener’s gold:
- Composting adds nutrient-rich humus to soil, helping it retain moisture and encouraging plant growth
- Compost is made by exposing organic materials to bacteria and fungi, causing them to decompose
- You can compost directly on the ground but bins are nice for neighborhoods. They keep your compost neat and discourage animals. A bin will also help regulate temperature and moisture
- Ideally, your bin should rest on bare earth to allow worms and other organisms to aerate the compost. Create a layer of straw or twigs as the bottom layer. Use a cover to keep the compost from becoming too wet
- Locate the bin or pile in a semi-shaded area to keep it moist
- Add water for every few layers to make it damp, but not soggy
- Turn compost with a pitchfork or compost aerating tool every week to give it air – this will help to break down the pile
- Alternate different types of plant materials with soil in 6 to 8 inch layers to achieve a good nitrogen balance
- Vegetable scraps, banana peels, lettuce leaves, apple cores, coffee grounds, tea bags, egg shells, napkins, paper towels, paper bags, cotton clothing, and hair make excellent additions to yard waste in a compost bin, in small amounts
- Avoid animal waste such as feces, meat, bones, grease, and dairy. They may produce odor and attract animals. Human and animal feces may transmit diseases
- Cover food waste with grass clippings to discourage flies
- Chop up large chunks in the compost bin to speed the decomposition process
- Experts recommend making a 3 foot x 3 foot pile to generate enough heat during decomposition to make sterile compost for potting soil and lawns
- Finished compost looks like a dark brown or black topsoil and it will smell like clean earth
- Use compost as soon as it has broken down to get the most effective results