Composting is the process by which we can aid in the decomposition of certain materials through controlled means. Whether it is done in a pile, a bin or a windrow, composting helps to eliminate the need to dispose of our organic wastes in the landfill.

When we compost, we are turning our organic waste into a useable product. Whether it is mulch for around trees and shrubbery, or compost that is mixed in with our vegetable gardens, the practice of composting is all-natural recycling. No factories involved, only microbes and the occasional worm.

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).