Composting - Going Green in Your Back Yard

Kitchen scraps such as onion peels, cantaloupe seeds, rinds and eggshells do not need to go into the trashcan. They can be recycled in compost bins to provide wonderful nutrients for successive generations of vegetation. With more people becoming concerned about the environment, composting is a simple procedure that can be implemented at home to reduce the negative impact on the eco-system. Composting is easy to start at home; simply keeping a small garbage pail dedicated to eco-friendly refuse in the kitchen can help you begin. At the end of each day, walk the materials out to the area where you have the compost bin. With very little effort and some assistance from the natural activities of bugs and warmth from the sun, you can create nutrient rich soil for your garden, house plants or landscaping and feel good about being pro-active and reducing waste in landfills.

You will initially need to get a compost bin, which can sometimes be found at home improvement or gardening stores. If you cannot find a pre-made compost bin, you can easily build your own using wood, pallets, blocks of concrete, wire, and an old garbage can with ½ -inch holes poked into the bottom. This allows moisture to seep out of the compost container and into the ground, but keeps small animals out of the bin.

Once you have your bin, you need to start layering it with compost. You should first place a layer of small, smooth rocks along the bottom, and then start alternating layers of brown and green waste. Brown waste typically consists of sawdust, wood chips, dried leaves, and paper products like newspaper and coffee filters. Green waste is comprised of eggshells, tea bags, old fruits and vegetables, coffee grounds, general food wastes, and weeds. One helpful thing to remember is to place soil between each layer, as this will quicken the entire procedure.

Locate the compost bin far enough away from your house so that you don't smell any waste, yet close enough for convenience. You should also remember that that the compost bin will naturally be warm because of the biological process that are taking place. In order to retain this warmth, if you live in a cooler area you will need to place it in a sunny area. If you live in a very hot, dry climate, you will need to add water to it occasionally and perhaps put it in a sheltered area. It needs to sustain some warmth and wetness, but any severity in temperature will likely slow down the progression. Having a compost bin is just one simple way you can make a positive impact on the local environment. It is also very satisfying to use the compost on your own garden or plants once it has matured.

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