Where do I get a backyard composter?
Backyard composters can be purchased for $15 at the Halton Waste Management Site. Cash, Debit, Visa and MasterCard are accepted.
Backyard composters can also be purchased at various hardware stores.
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What is composting?
Composting is the natural process where organic material, such as fruit and vegetable scraps, leaves and grass clippings break down and turn into a high quality soil conditioner called humus, or compost.
A backyard composter is a simple way for each of us to manage the organic wastes which we generate. You can build your own or purchase one from a local retailer.
Compost has many applications including home gardening, landscaping, use in potting soil for the horticultural industry and in agriculture. Composting truly is Nature's way of recycling!
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How is it made?
- Naturally occurring micro-organisms, insects and earthworms break down, or decompose, fruit and vegetable scraps, fallen leaves and all other organic matter.
- Backyard composting can accelerate the decomposition process by providing the ideal environment for necessary micro-organisms to flourish.
- Nutrients stored in the organic material converts into a form (compost or humus), that is beneficial for vegetation as a fertilizer and soil conditioner.
- This transformation completes the natural cycle of life.
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Why backyard compost?
By producing your own compost, you will produce a high-quality fertilizer for use on your lawn and garden and you’ll be helping the environment by using a natural fertilizer and diverting waste from the landfill.
In addition to saving landfill space, compost is beneficial to use on gardens and on lawns:
- The need for fertilizer is reduced because compost contains valuable nutrients that enriches vegetation.
- Compost conditions the soil, providing better drainage for compacted and clay soils, or better water retention for sandy and porous soils.
- Compost on the lawn and in the garden helps to control soil erosion.
- Compost used in plant beds helps to control the growth of weeds.
- It has an environmental benefit as well, as it is an all natural fertilizer with no chemicals.
With just a little attention, your backyard composter will deliver these benefits to your garden and lawn with little or no financial cost to you.
Studies show that approximately 30% of the residential waste currently going to the landfill in your garbage bag could be diverted through backyard composting. Backyard composting can save valuable landfill space while providing homeowners with a great and cost effective soil conditioner.
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How do I start backyard composting?
1. Choose a spot in your yard for your composter.
Things to consider:
- Location: It is important to choose a location for your composter that is convenient to use for you and your family, at all times of the year. A spot in a partially sunny location will help to keep the temperature in your composter high, which helps with decomposition. If the unit is placed in the shade, the activity is reduced and the process takes longer. If the composter is placed in full sun, the material may get too dry.
- Drainage: Your composter will need a spot that is flat and has relatively good drainage and air flow. Avoid putting your composter on a cement patio or on gravel as this will inhibit drainage. Add some small sticks or woodchips to the bottom of the composter to assist with drainage.
2. Collect material to be composted.
Use a bucket with a lid to collect materials to be composted.
- Keep the bucket in the kitchen.
- Collect vegetable and fruit scraps, soiled napkins, shredded paper egg cartons and paper drink trays.
- Do not collect meat, dairy or oil products.
- If possible, empty the bucket daily into your backyard composter.
- You can line the bucket with newspaper to keep it clean.
- Wash the bucket regularly to avoid odours.
3. Get the composter started.
Now you’ve set up your composter, it’s time to start filling it.
- Place small sticks, twigs or woodchips at the bottom of your composter.
- Layer about 15 cm (6 in) of “brown” material (for example moistened shredded newspaper, dead leaves or straw) and about 5 cm (2 in) of “green” material (for example fresh cut grass, fruit and vegetable scraps).
- Mix in a few shovels of garden soil or finished compost. This will introduce the necessary micro-organisms into the compost pile. This step can be skipped once the pile is actively composting. If composting slows down, add more soil.
- Mix the layers together. Additional layers may be added.
- The pile should be as damp as a wrung out sponge. If the pile is too dry, add some warm water using a pitcher or watering can (avoid using the hose). If the pile is too wet, mix in dry leaves (or shredded paper such as newspaper, egg cartons, paper drink trays or paper flower pots).
4. Maintain your compost pile.
Think of your composter as a living thing. To flourish, all living things require the following:
- Food: Your composter requires a balance of “brown” or carbon-rich material such as dried leaves, straw, paper or woody materials, and “green” or nitrogen-rich materials such as green grass, garden clippings or food remains. A combination of about 75% “brown” material and 25% “green” material by volume is the ideal combination.
- Water: The micro-organisms that work in your composter need a moist environment in order to thrive. When gauging the moisture content in your composter, think about as damp as a wrung out sponge. If the moisture content is too high it will cause the pile to smell; if the moisture content is too low it will cause the pile to stop composting.
- Air: Composting is accomplished much better when there is air present. Decomposition will occur much more quickly if there is plenty of air and will produce little to no odour. In an environment with a lack of air, decomposition will take longer and will produce strong, offensive odours. Turn the pile at least weekly to introduce air into it. The pile can be turned using a shovel, garden fork, hoe, hockey stick handle, etc., or you can purchase a specifically designed compost turner.
5. Harvest your finished compost.
The composting process can take from six weeks to one year to accomplish, depending on the type of pile, the composition of the material, moisture content, temperature and oxygen supply.
Finished compost is dark, crumbly, soil-like material that has lost most of the identity of the original material. Here are some tips:
- Harvest in the spring and the fall, this is also a great way to thoroughly mix the contents of the pile and kick-start the process again.
- If using a store-bought plastic bin, it is generally easier to lift the bin off the pile rather than using the trap door at the bottom.
- Remove the plastic screws that hold the composter to the ground and gently rock the composter and lift it off the pile.
- Using a garden rake and/or shovel, move the unfinished compost to one side and take out the finished compost.
- Put the unfinished compost back to the composter location and mix thoroughly, breaking up materials with the shovel. This is a great time to add some garden material and leaves.
- Put the pile into a dome shape and put the composter back over top. Remember to secure the screws back in place.
- The finished compost can be filtered through a screen prior to using in the garden (to take out twigs and nut shells that are not fully decomposed); however, this is not necessary. A simple screen could be constructed by making a wood frame and attaching galvanized mesh or chicken wire. Material that is screened out can be put back into the composter. You may wish to screen the compost before using it on the lawn.
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Can cedar be put in a backyard composter?
Small amounts of cedar, a branch or two for example, can go in a backyard composter.
Because cedar is highly acidic, if composted in large amounts, it can lead to a finished compost that is more acidic than most gardens can tolerate. However, some plants, such as Rhododendron, prefer acidic soils. Large amounts of cedar can be collected in the yard waste collection program.
Cedar is generally seen as particularly resistant to degradation. This means it could take a very long time to compost it.
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