Making Your Own Compost

NOTE: Remember compost is a soil amendment.
You will need:

• Buckets: Five-gallon or 10-gallon buckets are great for apartment complex composting
• Bins: Make your own or call Keep Athens Clarke County Beautiful to purchase a compost bin at 706-613-3501 ext. 312

Ingredients: 

• Air
• Water
• 2/3 Browns (Carbon Source)
• 1/3 Greens (Nitrogen Source)

Directions:

Browns are carbon-rich and include leaves, coffee grounds, sawdust, tea bags, paper, untreated wood chips, pine needles, straw, and more. Greens are nitrogen-rich and include weeds, corn cobs, eggshells, flowers, fruit and peelings, fresh cut grass, vegetables and peelings, and more. Mix browns and greens without water (about as much as a wrung out sponge).  Water is very important for good compost.  Stir once a week.  Need more information?  Follow these directions to make your compost.

Using Your Compost
Need to know how to use your compost?  Check-out this Compost Mix Calculator. 

Additional Resources 

• Composting at Home in Georgia Brochure 
• Small Scale or Backyard Composting Information 
• Composting with Worms (Vermicomposting) 
• Composting in Schools (from Cornell) 
• Improve your Home Garden: Beginners Guide to Earthworms by Andrea Davis

Contact the Recycling Division for additional compost information at 706-613-3512.