TRY COMPOSTING
According to Citizens for a Better
Environment between 15‑20% of the total municipal waste stream is organic
material. All of these materials are very bulky, quickly using up valuable
landfill space ‑
BACKGROUND
Composting is the process of turning organic
material you normally throw away‑‑from grass clippings to apple
cores‑into a rich fertilizer.
This doesn't mean that you just throw fresh
kitchen garbage directly onto the soil: You toss your organic garbage into a
specially constructed receptacle, and then you have to maintain it.
How it works: In a compost heap, billions of
organisms break the organic wastes down into the forms that can be best used by
plants. 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 in
crowded landfills. And we need the relief'
DIDYOUKNOW
Every year we throw away 24 million tons of leaves and grass.
Leaves alone can account for 75% of the solid waste in the fall.
The average American family produces more
than 1,200 pounds of organic garbage every year.
0 About 70% of the garbage Americans create
is compostable, including yard waste, food waste,
wood, and paper.
0 It costs at least $65 per ton to dump
solid waste in landfill; the average cost of municipal composting is only $35
per ton.
0 Success Stories: Composting, combined with curbside collection of
recyclables, has allowed towns like
SIMPLE THINGS TO DO
Start your own compost pile: The simplest way is to just pile leaves, grass
clippings, and weeds in a corner of your garden.
This isn't ideal as composting goes, and it takes up a lot of room.... But
the clippings will decompose, and wont use landfill space.
A more sophisticated compost pile involves more effort. You'll need to:
Sort your garbage to separate the organics from the rest.
Build or buy a small enclosure in which to create the compost.
Learn how to stack and layer the compost.
Turn it occasionally to avoid odors and allow the air to circulate.
It's a lot simpler than it might sound. But since we haven't got space to
explain it in detail, a good way to start is to send a self addressed envelope
to The Berkeley Ecology Center,
If you have a yard but no garden: * Composting is still worthwhile. Donate
your compost to friends who garden; they'll appreciate it.
9 If you want to recycle your organic garbage without bothering to keep a
compost pile, you can participate in community composting projects. These
usually involve leaf collection, either curbside or at a centralized composting
facility. Call your city government to find out if you've got a composting
program in your community. Over 500 communities do, and more are in the
planning stages.
9 Look for a commercial composter in the yellow
pages.
SOURCES:
"Home Composting," a small how‑to
brochure, is available for $3.50 plus a self‑addressed, stamped envelope
(500 postage) from Seattle Tilth Association,
For more detailed information, try:
0 The Rodde Guide to Cbmposting,
by J. Minnich (Rodale Press, 1979).
*Worrm Eat My Garbage, by M. Appelhoff
(Flower Press, 1982).