This post is a continuation of Part 2 on COMPOSTING: SIMPLE AND NATURAL WAY TO SAVE OUR PLANET. Lately, in part 1, we have gone through:

– COMPOSTING IN PRACTICE

– HOW TO COMPOST?

In part 2, we covered the following:

– CHOOSING THE APPROPRIATE COMPOSTERS

– WHAT TO COMPOST?

– WHAT IS VERMICOMPOSTING?

In this final part, we will see:

– WHAT IS HERBICYCLING?

– THE COMPOST IS READY!

– TIPS FOR COMPOSTING

WHAT IS HERBICYCLING?

Garden waste can be composted. However, grass clippings are often too much material for a composter. The solution? Grasscycling, which involves leaving the grass in place after mowing, is an environmentally friendly method of fertilizing the lawn. Grass clippings, which consist mainly of water, provide a vital nitrogen supply and affect soil moisture and help protect the lawn from certain diseases.

Many municipalities encourage grasscycling among their citizens through awareness campaigns. Some have even adopted regulations prohibiting the collection of grass with green waste or household garbage.

Some practical advice:

– Mow the lawn regularly, at the height of about 7 cm (3 inches) but never less than 4 cm (1.5 inches), and when the grass is dry.

– Make sure the mower blade is sharp or use a mulching blade to reduce the size of grass clippings, which increases the rate of decomposition.

– If mowing is too late, collect the grass clippings and deposit a 15-centimeter (6-inch) thickness in the compost bin or use it as mulch.

THE COMPOST IS READY!

It is relatively simple to recognize a mature compost: dark brown, it looks like good soil, has a good humus smell, and you can no longer identify the residues used (except for some materials that are difficult to compost, such as eggshells).

How to use the compost?

Compost is not a fertilizer but an excellent amendment for garden soil because it nourishes the soil, improves its structure and aeration, and increases its water retention capacity. You can use it both indoors and outdoors:

– Mix in the first six inches of garden soil and use it around trees, shrubs, vegetables, and flowers.

– Mix into your plant and transplant soil (at about one-third compost by volume).

– Spread the sieved compost on the lawn after aerating it.

To speed up the process

You will quickly learn how to make compost. To improve your practice, you need to know the factors that can influence the maturation time:

– The right proportion of wet and dry matter

– The size of the residues used (the smaller the pieces used, the faster the process)

– The proper ventilation and the right degree of humidity

– The method used and the volume of material composted

TIPS FOR COMPOSTING

You will increase your chances of success if composting is not complicated!

– Keep a re-sealable container in the kitchen in which to put your table scraps. An attractive stainless steel container placed near the sink is convenient.

– If you generate a lot of waste and you have room, use two composters: while the compost matures in one container, you use the other one every day.

– You can place residues in the compost bin all winter long. The decomposition process is slower or stops when the pile is frozen, but it starts again quickly in the spring, after a good turn.

– Empty the compost bin as much as possible in the fall to make room.

– If you don’t have a garden, you’ll be happy to donate your compost to a school or community group for use in their landscaping.

The United States is the only developed country whose waste production exceeds its recycling capacity, underscoring a lack of political will and infrastructure investment. The United States has a better recycling capacity than most countries globally, but the amount of waste produced is not treated in the same way. As responsible citizens, we need to take care of our waste, and composting is a natural and straightforward way to save our planet.

Don’t forget to share and comment on this article. Please, feel free to share your link to related posts that promote the sustainability of our planet.

This post is a continuation of Part 1 on COMPOSTING: SIMPLE AND NATURAL WAY TO SAVE OUR PLANET. Lately, we have gone through

– COMPOSTING IN PRACTICE

– HOW TO COMPOST?

We will now cover:

– CHOOSING THE APPROPRIATE COMPOSTERS

– WHAT TO COMPOST?

– WHAT IS VERMICOMPOSTING?

CHOOSING THE APPROPRIATE COMPOSTERS

To help you choose the right composter, here are a few useful questions:

– How much space do I have?

– Is the appearance of the composter important?

– What is my budget?

– Are there any municipal bylaws that govern the use or size of composters?

– Does my city or a local organization subsidize the purchase of composters or provide composting training?

There are many models, some very elegant! Most hardware stores and garden centers carry them. But why not have one made of wood by a social economy enterprise or a local craftsman? It’s also not very complicated to make your composter.

If you have a large plot of land, you can compost “in a pile”: in a remote corner, pile the waste. Make piles and turn them regularly to activate fermentation. The natural watering and the large surface area (oxygenation) will be your advantages.

The essential characteristics of the composter

A cover to protect the compost from rain and snow and control the compost’s moisture content.

– Holes or openings to promote air circulation

– A means of removing the final product, usually a hatch at the bottom of the composter

WHAT TO COMPOST?

Two types of residues to be mixed:

– Wet, rich in nitrogen (also called green matter)

– Dry, carbon-rich (also called brown matter)

To obtain an optimal maturation of the compost, mix about 1/3 wet material for 2/3 dry material.

Wet materials

Wet waste contains water, which is very useful in the process, but on its own, it settles and suffocates, generating juice spills and unpleasant odors.

– Fruit and vegetable peelings and leftovers

– Green garden waste: wilted flowers, pruning residues, mowing residues, weeds (without ripe seeds), etc.

Dry matter

Rather carbonaceous waste composts very slowly if left alone.

– Tea, herbal tea, and coffee grounds bags (with filter)

– Leftover bread, rice, pasta, legumes

– Nutshells

– Crushed eggshells (contain mineral elements and facilitate aeration)

– Dried tree leaves (they decompose faster if they are shredded)

– Dry grass

– Old potting soil

– Straw, hay, sawdust, twigs,

– Newsprint paper

– Animal hair and hair

Materials to avoid

– Meat, fish, shellfish, and bones

– Dairy products

– Fats and oils

– Plastic

– Metals

– Animal excrement and litter

– Rhubarb leaves

– Seeded or crawling weeds

– Diseased plants or foliage

– Wood ash

– Lime (lime)

– Barbecue briquettes

– Contents of the vacuum bag

– Dryer Lint

– Materials contaminated with pesticides or hazardous materials (e.g., treated wood)

WHAT IS VERMICOMPOSTING?

Vermicomposting is the solution for people who don’t own land to set up a composter or don’t want to use their composters during the winter. This type of composting is also very popular with children!

This method involves making compost using red worms – a different kind of earthworm from the worms found in the garden – available at various locations. These worms consume and digest a phenomenal amount of waste, quickly producing rich compost.

It’s easy to make a vermicomposter. You can set it up outdoors, but you must provide an indoor space for the cold season as the worms would not survive.

The rest of the topic (below) will continue in part 3:

– WHAT IS HERBICYCLING?

– THE COMPOST IS READY!

– And the final point will cover TIPS FOR COMPOSTING

Stay posted, and don’t forget to comment and share!

 Summary

– COMPOSTING IN PRACTICE

– HOW TO COMPOST?

– CHOOSING THE APPROPRIATE COMPOSTERS

– WHAT TO COMPOST?

– WHAT IS VERMICOMPOSTING?

– WHAT IS HERBICYCLING?

– THE COMPOST IS READY!

– TIPS FOR COMPOSTING

The USA alone produced 292.4 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) in 2018. This means 4.9 pounds per inhabitant per day. Of the MSW generated, 69 million tons were recycled and 25 million tons composted. (the United States Environmental Protection Agency, National Overview: Facts and Figures on Materials, Wastes, and Recycling).

According to The Guardian (July 2019), the US produces far more waste and recycles far less of it than other developed countries. 

These figures come when the world faces a growing waste crisis in developing countries and oceans. The United States is at a crossroads, with China and other developing countries refusing to continue accepting their waste, the report’s authors say.

 The US has only 4 percent of the world’s population but produces 12 percent of the world’s municipal solid waste. By comparison, China and India account for more than 36% of the world’s population and produce 27% of the world’s municipal solid waste.

 While Americans recycle only 35% of their municipal waste, Germany, the most efficient country, recycles 68%.

Composting is an easy, environmentally friendly way to reduce these materials destined for landfill or incineration.

This practice reduces the many negative impacts of the transportation and disposal of waste: air, soil, and water pollution, not to mention the effects on human health, fauna, and flora.

The return to the earth of waste that is not waste.

Naturally, organic matter decomposes when exposed to air. Over time, it forms a soil that allows nutrients to return to the ground. Composting speeds up this decomposition.

Many organic materials, representing up to 30% of our household waste contents, can be composted: fruit and vegetable peels, coffee grounds, dead leaves, etc. With minimal maintenance, the compost is ripe within a few months and then becomes a high-quality amendment for flower beds, vegetable gardens, flower boxes, lawns, etc.

Don’t forget: many municipalities have waste management programs and offer information and sometimes even composters. Contact your local government to find out about these programs or to suggest their implementation.

COMPOSTING IN PRACTICE

Composting is a process of biological transformation of organic matter in the presence of water and oxygen. Fermentation occurs, and micro-organisms transform the waste into compost after maturation: a stabilized, hygienic and humus-rich product, very useful in the garden.

HOW TO COMPOST?

Composting is not complicated. By respecting a few basic rules and by organizing yourself well, this gesture quickly becomes quite natural.

First of all, organic matter requires adequate humidity, oxygen, and various residues to decompose. It is therefore essential to:

– Mix the different organic wastes

– Aerate and stir the mixture – to promote the micro-organisms’ action and homogenize the resulting mix.

– Ensure that the compost is not soaking wet but moist.

In practice, here are the steps to follow after choosing your composter:

1. Place the bin on a flat, well-drained surface that is easily accessible year-round and preferably in an area that is neither too sunny nor too shady.

2. Turn the soil in the area where you will install the compost bin.

3. After placing the compost bin, cover the bottom with a row of small branches to allow air to circulate and improve drainage.

4. Alternate between wet (kitchen scraps) and dry (dead leaves) waste. It is best to always finish with a layer of dry residue or potting soil to avoid odors.

5. Initially, add mature compost, garden soil, or a starter (available at garden centers) to your waste. This speeds up the composting process. You can repeat this process as needed.

6. At least twice a month, turn the fermenting compost pile over with a fork or shovel to aerate it, speed up decomposition and avoid odors.

7. Your compost bin should allow you to collect mature compost through a door at the bottom of the pile: as the residues are piled up, they decompose at the base and become compost.

This post will now continue in part 2. Stay posted, and remember to leave your comments below.