Composting Overview

Composting Overview
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What Is Composting?
It is a satisfying way to turn fruit, vegetable and yard trimmings
into a dark, crumbly, sweet smelling soil conditioner.

Why Should I Compost?
Composting is nature’s way of recycling. It is the most practical
and convenient way to handle your yard wastes. Composting also improves
your soil and the plants growing in it

Composting: Saves you money by lowering garbage bills and replacing store-bought soil conditioners. Helps garden and house plants by improving the fertility and health of your soil. Saves water by helping the soil hold moisture and reducing water runoff. Benefits the environment by recycling valuable organic resources reducing transport and processing of materials and reducing waste to our landfills.

What Can I Compost?
Yard wastes, such as fallen leaves, grass clippings, weeds, the
remains of garden plants, and kitchen scraps make excellent compost.
However, care must be taken when composting kitchen scraps. Meat,
bones, and fatty foods (such as cheese, salad dressing, and leftover
cooking oil) don’t belong in the bin and must be put in the garbage.
Find out more about composting "do’s and dont’s" on the
Santa Clara County Solid Waste Commission website.

How Can I Use Compost?
Compost can be used to enrich garden soil, improve the soil around
trees, shrubs and houseplants and when screened, as part of a seed-starting
mix or lawn top dressing.

How Do I Get Started?
Composting can be practiced in any home, apartment, or townhouse.
While you need some space to backyard compost, anyone can compost
with a worm bin. For more detailed information visit The
Master Composter website.

For
composting to take place, you will need four basic ingredients:
nitrogen (such as lawn clippings), carbon (like fallen leaves),
water and air.

For worm composting, you just need a comfortable
place for worms, the worms themselves, and kitchen scraps.

Find out how to purchase
a bin