-Approximately 70% of the garbage created by Americans is compostable. This includes yard waste, food waste, wood and paper.

-People throw away twenty-four million tons of leaves and grass every year.

-Composting provides a free soil conditioner that improves plant growth.

-Compost helps soil retain moisture and nutrients.

-Compost helps bind sandy soils and helps break up heavy clay.

-Compost slows water runoff and reduces soil erosion.

-Composting returns nutrients back into the soil, therefore reducing the need for chemical fertilizers.

Composting is the process of turning organic kitchen and yard wastes into a rich, natural fertilizer. Compost unlocks nutrients in the soil by promoting the growth of mycorrhizae, fungi that form a symbiotic relationship with plant roots, exchanging phosphorus extracted from rocks. The finished compost will add nutrients and humus to the soil, improving its texture and increasing its ability to hold air and water. Besides being a source of natural fertilizer, composting helps cut down the amount of solid waste being dumped into crowded landfills. Return it to the earth!

LEAVES GRASS CLIPPINGS

STRAW MANURE

MULCH VEGETABLE WASTE

Combine three parts of dried, brown material with one part fresh green material. Chop or shred the organic matter into pieces one inch or smaller - this will help to speed up the natural decaying process. Spread soil over the pile. This layer contains the microbes that do the work, and it keeps the surface from drying out. Wet the pile as you build it, and then again as you turn it. The compost pile needs regular turning - about once a week.

The heat in a well-built pile will peak at approximately 120-160 degrees Fahrenheit. As the temperature begins to decrease, turn the pile. If it is cooking, as it should, vapor will rise as the pile is turned.

Compost is ready to use when it is crumbly and dark brown -- usually four to six weeks. A finished pile will have shrunk by 60% and will have stopped heating up. Apply compost as mulch or work it into the soil.

Cannell, Michael. "From Garbage to Garden" Science World, April 12, 1999 v55, i13 pg. 9.

Hansen, Beth. Easy Compost. Brooklyn, NY: Brooklyn Botanical Garden, Inc.

Martin, Deborah and Grace Gershuny. 1992. The Rodale Book of Composting. Emmans, Pennsylvania. Rodale Press.

Willis, Michael. "Turning Garbage into Gold." Country Living, June 1999 v22 i6 pg. 65-66.

50 Simple Things you can do to Save the Earth. The Earth Works Group. Earthworks Press. Berkeley, CA. 1989.

AUTHORS: JASON BROWN, DAVID CLAYTON, CARRIE COVINGTON