tip_of_month
Tip of the Month - November 2007
As published in the Lafayette Today newspaper.
________________________________________
Fall is a great time to start composting! Autumn leaf drop provides plenty of material to give composting a great start! Composting will transform leaves and other yard waste into a high quality soil amendment that will invigorate your landscaping.

biostack2
In Lamorinda we are lucky to have “green bins” for yard waste, but a significant amount of energy is still used to collect the incredible volume and mass of green waste from our yards, deliver it to a processing center, grind and process it, and then truck the resulting compost out to farms in the Central Valley. It is far more energy efficient to compost yard waste right in our own backyards. When we compost, we are simply replicating a natural process that is going on all around us. Soils are continually replenished by nutrient-rich dead grasses and leaves as they decompose on their own.

Many residents assume it is too much work to do their own composting. Nothing could be further from the truth! Typically composting requires less than 15 minutes of time every two weeks and will yield finished compost in as little as four months.

Here is a simple, low effort method for composting using a compost bin. When building a compost pile, use equal amounts of fresh yard waste (high nitrogen content) and old, dry yard waste (high carbon content). Mix these materials together as they go into your bin, and add lots of water! Once composting has started, the material in your bin will begin to get warm or even hot! This is a positive sign that aerobic decomposition has started. Turn or agitate the composting yard waste once every ten to fourteen days to maintain faster decomposition. The water content should be moist, not wet. Go ahead and add fresh yard waste when needed. After a few months most of what has been added will look like dark brown, fluffy soil. This indicates that the compost process is done and the finished compost is ready to be distributed around your yard.

For more information on composting, the Home Composting For Busy People! program offers free local compost workshops. If you can't make a workshop, request the free DVD entitled "Home Composting-It’s Second Nature". For additional information on easy and efficient methods of home composting, contact Home Composting For Busy People! by calling 906-1806 or visit www.wastediversion.org.
To read success stories about how residents in Lafayette are reducing their waste and living more sustainably:
http://www.sustainablelafayette.net/




pdflink to PDF of Lafayette Today that included article on page 13