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What is composting?

Composting is a controlled process of decomposition of organic material. Naturally occurring soil organisms recycle nitrogen, potash, phosphorus, and other plant nutrients as they convert the material into humus.

Benefits of composting

Composting is a convenient, beneficial and inexpensive way to handle your organic waste and help the environment. Composting:

• reduces the volume of garbage requiring disposal

• saves money for you and your community in reduced soil purchases and reduced local disposal costs, and

• enriches the soil. Using compost adds essential nutrients, improves soil structure, which allows better root growth, and increases moisture and nutrient retention in the soil. Plants love compost!

What you should compost?

Yard wastes such as leaves, grass clippings and weeds make excellent compost. Fruit and vegetable scraps, plus food wastes such as coffee grounds, tea bags, and eggs shells, can be composted. To keep animals and odors out of your pile, do not add meat, bones, fatty food wastes (such as cheese, grease and oils), dog and cat litter, and diseased plants. Do not add invasive weeds and weeds that have gone to seed to the pile. Elements of a good compost pile With these principles in mind, you can convert your organic wastes into resources by turning your spoils to soil.

Related Articles:

• How to Make "Healthy Compost" [PDF] - Learn about the factors that contribute to successful composting.

• VermiComposting [MS Word] - Learn how to compost indoors with Earthworms.

• Don't Trash Grass [MS Word] - Learn how to save time and money taking care of your lawn.

*Information provided by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection