Directions
Begin with about six inches of browns in the bottom of the compost bin. Browns are carbon-rich and include leaves, coffee grounds, sawdust, tea bags, paper, untreated wood chips, pine needles, straw, and more. Add a layer of greens a few inches thick. Greens are nitrogen-rich and include weeds, corn cobs, eggshells, flowers, fruit and peelings, fresh cut grass, vegetables and peelings, and more. Shovel some soil on top of the browns and greens. Finally, just add water until moist (like a wrung-out sponge). Stir once a week.
Maintain your compost bin by adding more greens, browns, and water, and mix the pile about once every two weeks to ensure air and water are equally distributed throughout the pile. You have just created a habitat for organisms like bacteria, pill bugs, and worms. These critters will digest your discards and create humus for you to use in your garden.
Do not compost the following items:
- Bones
- Coated paper
- Dairy products
- Diseased plants
- Dog and cat feces
| - Fish
- Greasy foods
- Meat
- Un-chopped woody wastes
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Using Your Compost
Need to know how to use your compost? Check-out this Compost Mix Calculator.
Additional Resources
Contact the Recycling Division for additional compost information at 706-613-3512.
