the little city with big aspirations
Things I learned at the Compost Workshop
The Benefits:
- Saves money by lowering disposal bills.
- Helps garden by improving fertility and health of the soil.
- Saves water by helping the soil hold moisture and reducing water runoff.
The Steps:
- Chop materials to help them break down faster.
- Mix Browns (dry leaves, woody materials) and Greens (moist, green materials, fruit scraps).
- Maintain air and water balance by keeping compost as moist as a wrung-out sponge.
The Browns, Greens, Air and Water Cycle:
1. Create base by adding Browns
2. Add Water
3. Add Greens
4. Mix it to give it some Air
Repeat process 1 to 4.
Note:
Shredded paper cannot be recycled due to the break-up of components. The good news is that it is compostable! Use it as a "Brown".
Coffee grounds is a "Green" not a Brown when you use it to compost because it has high levels of nitrogen. The coffee filters though are considered to be "Brown".
Take note that meats are also compostable but it takes longer to break down and it might also attract rodents because it produces pathogens.
Good Resources:
StopWaste.org - 510.444.SOIL
Alameda County Recycling Hotline - 1.877.STOPWASTE
Household Hazardous Waste - 1.800.606.6606
Alameda Countywide Clean Water Program - 1.888.BAYWISE
EDMUD Water Conservation Program - 510.287.0591
The Watershed Project - 510.665.3546
- Saves money by lowering disposal bills.
- Helps garden by improving fertility and health of the soil.
- Saves water by helping the soil hold moisture and reducing water runoff.
The Steps:
- Chop materials to help them break down faster.
- Mix Browns (dry leaves, woody materials) and Greens (moist, green materials, fruit scraps).
- Maintain air and water balance by keeping compost as moist as a wrung-out sponge.
The Browns, Greens, Air and Water Cycle:
1. Create base by adding Browns
2. Add Water
3. Add Greens
4. Mix it to give it some Air
Repeat process 1 to 4.
Note:
Shredded paper cannot be recycled due to the break-up of components. The good news is that it is compostable! Use it as a "Brown".
Coffee grounds is a "Green" not a Brown when you use it to compost because it has high levels of nitrogen. The coffee filters though are considered to be "Brown".
Take note that meats are also compostable but it takes longer to break down and it might also attract rodents because it produces pathogens.
Good Resources:
StopWaste.org - 510.444.SOIL
Alameda County Recycling Hotline - 1.877.STOPWASTE
Household Hazardous Waste - 1.800.606.6606
Alameda Countywide Clean Water Program - 1.888.BAYWISE
EDMUD Water Conservation Program - 510.287.0591
The Watershed Project - 510.665.3546
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