During
the warmer months, yard waste can make up over half of your
waste output for the week. Yard waste and drop-off collection
programs cost you or your municipality money. Home composting
and grasscycling eliminate yard waste before it is generated
and is the best way to deal with this type of waste.
What is Composting?
Composting
is a technique used to accelerate the natural decay process.
The technique converts organic wastes to a mulch which is used
to fertilize and condition soil. Leaf waste decomposes naturally
in about 2 years. Composting can take as long as a year or as
little as 14 days, depending on the amount of human control.
What
Materials Should I Use?
Most
yard wastes can be composted, including leaves, grass clippings,
plants stalks, vines, weeds, twigs, and branches. Compostable
food wastes include fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds,
eggshells and nutshells. Other compostable materials are hair
clippings, feathers, straw, livestock manure, bonemeal and bloodmeal.
Materials
should NOT be composted if they promote disease, cause odors,
attract pests, or create other nuisances. These include meat,
fish, poultry, dairy products, foods containing animal fats,
human/pet feces, weeds with developed seed heads, and plants
infected with or highly susceptible to disease, such as roses
and peonies.
Materials that
should be composted only in limited amounts include wood ashes
(a source of lime), sawdust (requires extra nitrogen), plants
treated with herbicides or pesticides (the chemicals need time
for thorough decomposition), and black and white newsprint (composts
slowly, so it should comprise no more than 10% by weight of
the total pile).
Composting
is a biological process that needs certain elements in order
to work properly. Just like the human body, the elements that
go into a compost bin can work for or against the internal mechanisms.
As we need food, water, shelter, and air, so do our compost
bins. Follow the link below to see what the requirements are
for proper composting.
Enclosing
the compost pile saves space and prevents litter. The enclosure
should be collapsible or provide an entry large enough to permit
the pile to be turned. It should measure at least 4'x4'x4' (a
pile under 3 cubic feet generally does not decompose properly),
but no taller than 6' (too much weight cause compaction and
loss of oxygen). The enclosure can be built of wood, pallets,
hay bales, cinder blocks, stakes and chicken wire, or snow fencing.
Prefabricated compost bins are also available.
Building the Pile
Aside
from the basic requirements for decomposition and preventing
odors and other nuisances, there is no set method for building
a compost pile. One technique may be faster than another, but
a variety of methods work well. Piles can be built in layers
to ensure the proper proportion of carbon (e.g. leaves, woody
materials) to nitrogen (grass, fertilizer), but the layers should
be thoroughly intermixed after the pile is built.
Maintenance
Though
a compost pile or bin is low maintenance, there are a few things
that you may want to do to ensure that decomposition will occur
effectively. Click on the link below to learn more about maintaining
your compost bins.
Finished
compost is dark brow, crumbly, and has an earthy odor. Depending
upon seasonal temperatures, a well-built, well-tended pile generally
yields finished compost in 2 weeks to 4 months. An unattended
pile made with unshredded material may take longer than a year
to decompose.
*Information on Home
Composting has been provided by the PA Department of Environmental
Protection.*
For more information
on Home Composting, please contact:
Cambria County Solid Waste Authority toll free at 1-877-2-DROP-IT-off
the PA DEP at 1-412-645-7100, or visit PA
Dept. of Environmental Protection
keyword "Recycling" for more information.
