Eco-wise citizens have long been composting. (Comstock)

Farmers have been doing it for ages, eco-wise citizens have long been in the know about it, and now, more and more of us are catching on: Composting is an easy, affordable way to help the environment as well as your own backyard.

With International Compost Awareness Week launching Monday and gardening season beginning, there couldn’t be a better time to review the straightforward way to minimize your curb side waste and creating nutrient-rich food for your greenery.

“In the past, we would throw out valuable organic material that is harmful in landfills or when it’s incinerated,” says Barry Friesen, chair of the board of directors of the Composting Council of Canada (www.compost.org), a national, non-profit organization that promotes environmental sustainability through composting.

He explains that when organic waste decomposes in landfills, it creates methane, a greenhouse gas, as well as leachate, harmful “garbage juice” full of biological and chemical contaminants. In incinerators, organic garbage needs to be dried before it can burn properly – a time-consuming and expensive process.

Composting, however, is nature’s way of recycling organic waste, he says. Composting occurs when micro-organisms such as bacteria and fungi, with the help of air and moisture, break down organic material such as food scraps, leaves, yard trimmings, paper and wood into humus, a valuable soil amendment for use in gardening and landscaping.

“If we separate organics from the waste stream, we help the environment and get compost, a beneficial product for soil and plants,” says Friesen, who’s also director of waste management services for Niagara Region, which includes 140,000 households.

What to Compost

Most household organic waste can be composted at home, Friesen says. From the garden, you may include

• Leaves (chopped – to speed their breakdown) 
  
• Grass (not wet) 
  
• Plants and weeds (without ripe seeds) 
  
• Old potting soil 
  
• Soft plant stems

From the kitchen, you may include:

• Fruit scraps 
  
• Vegetable trimmings 
  
• Egg shells (crushed) 
  
• Tea bags 
  
• Coffee grounds with filters 
  
• Shredded paper

Do not include:

• Meat, fish and bones 
  
• Plastics 
  
• Metals 
  
• Fats and oils 
  
• Dairy products
• Pet waste 
  
• Cheese, meat or other sauces

How to Compost

You can purchase a composter through your municipality or at your local hardware store, or very easily build your own, Friesen says. For DIY types, an untreated (to avoid chemical leaching) wooden barrel or box about three feet tall and two feet wide (on the smaller side) should do the trick.

Choose a spot in your backyard that’s sunny and has good drainage, and then turn the soil before placing your composter. Cover the floor of it with a layer of small branches to allow for air movement and drainage.

“When adding waste, it’s important to layer your greens [yard waste] and browns [kitchen waste],” Friesen says. “What that does is create air space so oxygen can move through the material.”

Composting Clues

• Composting works best when organic pieces are small. Shred yard trimmings and cut up large chunks of food scraps. 
  
• Keep layers of waste thin, with grass no more than six cm deep and leaves less than 15 cm deep. 
  
• Ensure composter contents are moist like a wrung-out spunge. Add a sprinkle of water if contents are too dry, or some soil if too wet. 
  
• To keep the rotting material well aerated, mix it every few days or whenever you add new waste. 
  
• You can compost all year round, even in winter. The breakdown process slows or stops when the pile freezes, but will restart in spring. Thorough turning in the spring will reactivate the pile.

Composting Concerns

“One of the most common questions we get asked is, ‘Will I make too much compost?’” Friesen says. “Most homeowners don’t produce that much, in fact they usually need more than they can make, so it’s seldom an issue.”

Another common concern is whether the compost will attract critters such as mice, raccoons and skunks, as well as bears, Friesen says. He says that if you mix your kitchen and yard scrap waste well, it’ll emit less smell and attract less animals. Also, he says, once the waste begins decomposing, critters will lose interest.

The End Result

The composting process can take from two months to two years, depending on the materials used and effort involved, Friesen says. Compost is ready to be used when it’s dark in colour, crumbly and has an “earthy” smell. You can sift the compost to eliminate material that hasn’t finished decomposing and return it to the pile to complete its transformation into humus.

“The beauty of composting is that it adds so many things to your garden: It enhances the soil structure, helps with soil water retention, and adds natural inoculants to certain plants,” Friesen says. “You can even spread a layer on your lawn, because grass really loves compost.”