May 2014 Residential Communications Resources
Topic: Composting
BLOG/ARTICLE
Teaser
A little work this spring on a compost project will provide rich soil, thankful plants and
reduced waste.
Spring is a Great Time to Start Composting
Food and yard waste accounts for about 11 percent of the garbage thrown away in the
Twin Cities metro area. That's over two pounds per person per week! Much of this waste
can be put to better use.
Many types of food scraps, along with leaves and yard trimmings, can be combined in a
backyard compost bin to create a valuable soil additive for your lawn and garden. That's
recycling at its best!
Getting Started in the Backyard
Check with your city recycling coordinator to see if there are rules you need to follow for
backyard composting.
Buy or make your compost bin. They can be purchased at local garden centers, hardware
stores, home improvement stores or your county compost bin sale. Also, the Recycling
Association of Minnesota sells compost bins and rain barrels in the spring. For more
information, go to www.recycleminneosta.org. For instructions on how to make your own
bin, check our website, www.RethinkRecycling.com, and search “backyard composting.”
A successful compost pile requires three things: air circulation, moisture and the right
ingredients. Pointers on selecting your location are offered in the Rethink Recycling
Resident Guide. On the same web page, you’ll find a recipe for good, clean dirt.
In general, the right recipe is three parts dry ingredients (leaves or dry grass) to one part
wet food waste. Food waste includes vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee grounds and
filters, tea leaves and tea bags, egg shells, nut shells, and more.
A few things do not belong in a backyard compost pile: dairy products, meat or bones,
gravies or fatty sauces, grease, pet waste, diseased plants, weeds gone to seed, ash from
charcoal or coal, branches and wood chucks.
The natural process will break down the materials. The internal temperature of the pile
will rise from the microbial activity.
Composting Inside
These materials were provided by the Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board (SWMCB) as a part of its Rethink Recycling outreach
efforts. Please help us track the use of Rethink Recycling materials by sending an e-mail to Info@RethinkRecycling.com with a description of
how the materials were used, the date(s) published, and the estimated reach.
Consider worm composting if you want to create a rich soil additive inside your apartment
or home. There are two simple requirements, a bin and worms. Much can be learned
about both by checking out the Resident Guide on RethinkRecycling.com.
Using the Finished Product
Worm compost has a higher amount of nitrogen than most compost. Use it sparingly for
best results.
Mix your indoor or outdoor compost in with your soil to improve quality. Use it to fill in low
spots in your yard. Use it as mulch for landscaping and garden plants. Mix compost in the
soil for potted plants. Top dress your lawn to retain moisture.
Troubleshooting Problems
Does your bin stink? Not sure if it’s working? Attracting critters? The Minnesota Pollution
Control Agency has a fact sheet, “Diagnosing common backyard composting problems.”
You can download the fact sheet by searching for “Good Clean Dirt” at
www.RethinkRecycling.com.
A little work this spring to get your compost bin going will pay off with rich soil and
thankful plants.
Social Media
Facebook :
1. Check out our new blog on composting.
(http://www.rethinkrecycling.com/blog/spring-great-time-start-composting)
2. Food and yard waste equal 2 pounds per person every week in the Twin Cities! Who
has tried composting?
3. Indoor composting with worms doesn’t require much space. A bin 8- 16” deep, 2124” long and 14-18” wide is enough. Learn more (link to
http://www.rethinkrecycling.com/residents/backyard-composting/compostingworms)
4. Red wiggler composting worms like the same food we do: bread, fruit, coffee
grounds and vegetables. But no dairy, meat, onions or fats for the worms.
5. Can you use your composting bin in the winter? You bet. Kitchen scraps that freeze
deteriorate and shrink down quickly in the spring.
6. Name something you can put in your backyard composting pile but not in your
inside worm composting bin. (Answers: onions, leaves, grass clippings, yard waste)
7. True or false: Compost bins stink. (False: It should smell like dirt, not rotten eggs.
Link to page with troubleshooting guide
http://www.rethinkrecycling.com/residents/backyard-composting/recipe-goodclean-dirt )
These materials were provided by the Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board (SWMCB) as a part of its Rethink Recycling outreach
efforts. Please help us track the use of Rethink Recycling materials by sending an e-mail to Info@RethinkRecycling.com with a description of
how the materials were used, the date(s) published, and the estimated reach.
8. What makes a compost pile heat up? The sun? No. As the natural bugs feed on the
waste or bacteria in the pile, they generate a lot of heat, which helps the material
decompose.
9. Get your compost bin. (Link to RAM info on ordering rain barrels and compost bins
at www.recycleminnesota.org.)
10.Looking for recycling bins for your next event? On our website, you can find options
for renting, loaning and buying bins. (Link http://www.rethinkrecycling.com/eventplanning/topic/event-recycling-bins)
11.Hennepin, Ramsey and Washington Counties provide free use of event recycling
bins. Refundable deposit required in Hennepin. Get the details here (Link
http://www.rethinkrecycling.com/event-planning/topic/event-recycling-bins)
Twitter:
1. Check out our new blog on composting.
(http://www.rethinkrecycling.com/blog/spring-great-time-start-composting)
2. Food and yard waste equal 2 pounds per person every week in the Twin Cities! Who
has tried composting?
3. Indoor composting with worms doesn’t require much space. A bin 8-16” deep, 2124” long, 14-18” wide is enough. (link to
http://www.rethinkrecycling.com/residents/backyard-composting/compostingworms)
4. Red wiggler composting worms like the same food we do: bread, fruit, coffee
grounds and vegetables. But no dairy, meat, onions or fats for the worms.
5. Can you use your composting bin in the winter? You bet. Kitchen scraps that freeze
deteriorate and shrink down quickly in the spring.
6. Name something you can put in your backyard composting pile but not in your
inside worm composting bin.
7. Answers: onions, leaves, grass clippings, yard waste
8. True or false: Compost bins stink.
9. False: It should smell like dirt, not rotten eggs. (Link to page with troubleshooting
guide http://www.rethinkrecycling.com/residents/backyard-composting/recipegood-clean-dirt )
10.How’s composting work? As natural bugs feed on the waste or bacteria, they
generate a lot of heat, which helps the material decompose.
11.Get your compost bin. (Link to RAM info on ordering rain barrels and compost bins
at www.recycleminnesota.org.)
12.Looking for recycling bins for your next event? On our website, you can find options
for renting, loaning and buying bins. (Link http://www.rethinkrecycling.com/eventplanning/topic/event-recycling-bins)
13.Hennepin, Ramsey and Washington Counties provide free use of event recycling
bins. Get the details here (Link http://www.rethinkrecycling.com/eventplanning/topic/event-recycling-bins)
These materials were provided by the Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board (SWMCB) as a part of its Rethink Recycling outreach
efforts. Please help us track the use of Rethink Recycling materials by sending an e-mail to Info@RethinkRecycling.com with a description of
how the materials were used, the date(s) published, and the estimated reach.