Composting is a method used to convert yard and uncooked food waste into garden humus, rich in nutrients and organic materials. Not only is it conserving resources and protecting the environment, but it also is a great way of enriching poor soils in desert and arid areas.
In the U.S. and Canada alone, yard waste makes up almost 30 percent of the solid waste of most municipalities. The cost of collecting, hauling and handling yard waste usually averages about 20 percent of the budget of solid waste programs. When you add grass clippings and leaves, the cost can rise to 50 percent of the solid waste budget.
And, there are environmental problems associated with yard and food waste. They are major elements in the production of methane gas. They also cause acid-liquid drainage in landfills. Burning instead of burying yard wastes is a major cause of pollution in many areas.
Some municipalities in the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere have begun their own composting operations, selling the finished compost back to residents to help cover costs of collection and handling. This method is certainly preferable to burning or burying yard and food wastes.
However, if you actually compost your own yard and raw food wastes, you help lower the major costs of collecting and handling, plus you create a positive force in the environment. Additionally, composting in your backyard is one of the easiest, if not the easiest ways to break down yard wastes at their source.
Backyard Composting
In nature, there is a regular cycle of life and death. In forests, for instance, leaves and other organic debris fall to the floor of the forest, where micro-organisms and macro-organisms act on them, breaking them down into a rich, dark organic substance known as humus.
Composting emulates this process, but also speeds it up. There is only one difference between compost that has been finished in your backyard and the rich humus of the forest floor: time.
Your Own Compost Pile
There are many ways to build a compost pile. Most of them aren't pretty, which is why they are usually located in an inconspicuous area. But they should also be convenient to access. You'll need a source of water nearby. A hose running out to the compost pile should be sufficient. Putting the compost pile in the shade will help keep it from drying out.
Size
There is a minimum size for compost piles. It should be at least three feet high, three feet wide, and three feet deep. The pile needs to build up heat through microbial action. Anything smaller than the minimum will not have enough critical mass to start the microbial action.
However, it also shouldn't be higher than five feet. Air flow is also necessary for microbial action, and anything over five feet may weigh down the pile and restrict air flow. Also, the pile will have to be turned occasionally, and if it's over five feet, you may have trouble turning it. The length really doesn't matter much.
If you have a large amount of yard waste, you might want to consider having two or more compost bins adjacent to each other. Two bins make it easy to turn the pile. You can move material from one bin into the second bin. That way, what was on top in the first bin is now on the bottom of the second bin.
More than two bins are also great for putting compost in at different stages of their decomposition.
Next: Types of compost bins.
