Are you composting yet? The most beautiful thing about composting is that the trash you put on the curb every week is so much less than before. That means less energy to haul and transport, and money saved for your town in disposal costs and less pollution put into the air from incinerators burning the trash.
And after all that, you still get a prize: bountiful, nutrient-rich soil for your garden!
Composting is simple. It can be as rudimentary as a pile in your backyard where you layer green waste (kitchen scraps) and brown waste (yard scraps), or as fancy as an expensive tumbler system. There is plenty of information on composting, and it is our purpose here to encourage you to get started composting one way or another. But do be encouraged, because composting is not as hard as you may think. You can read up on mesophillic and thermophillic bacteria, and of nitrogen and oxygen ratios if you are so inclined, but if you don’t want to become a compost expert, you can still successfully bring composting into your life.
Here are the basics:
- Don’t compost foods with fats or oils (like meat or dairy)
- Do compost fruits and veggie scraps, tea bags, coffee grinds, egg shells and the like (I’m reckless, I throw in old pasta and rice too.)
- Do compost leaves, grass clippings, weeds, and saw dust (no dog poo and nothing pesticide treated). Also, let weeds dry out so they don’t take root in the pile.
- Get a handy kitchen collector for rounding up scraps. I like using a vintage ice bucket instead of composters that require bio-bags. Anything will work, even an old oj container.
- Read up on the various types of bins. Here’s one place to start. Or just make a space in the yard and get started right away.
- Turn your pile once in a while. Like I said, I am a reckless composter. I hardly turn my pile, but when I need it, I invariably always have some soil on hand, thanks to rot-inducing bacteria that knows what to do. But see what works for you.
- Take pride and pleasure in the smaller size trash bag you put on the curb!
Did you know Montclair has a Rotline- a composting hotline? Get expert advice:
(973) 509-5721.
