Composting FAQs
Having a hard time deciding what to put in your compost bin or pile? I get this question all the time. Below are some helpful hints:
When composting, the best mix is 50% Browns and 50% Greens.
What is considered a Brown?
"Browns" are carbon rich materials such as:
- Leaves
- Dried out grass
- Brown Paper Bags
- Toilet Paper Rolls
- Paper Towel Rolls
- Cardboard Egg Cartons
- Dirt
- Brown Paper Coffee Filters
- Compostable Bags and Plates/Cups
- Small Sticks
- Newspaper
- Straw
What is considered a Green?
"Greens" are nitrogen rich materials such as:
- Fresh Cut Grass
- Vegetable Trimmings
- Fruit Scraps
- Non-oily Table Scraps
- Egg Shells
- Sandwich remains
- Coffee Grounds
- Moldy Bread
- Food Scraps
My Compost stinks, what’s wrong?
When composting 50/50 browns and greens, your compost will be odorless. If you just added food scraps, give your compost a toss. This will help the enzymes and the carbons mix with the new materials and your odor will be gone. Still stink? Chances are you have more "Greens" or Nitrogen based material. Throw on some leaves or tear up some brown paper bags to add to the compost.
During the Spring and Summer months, it can be easy to be low on Brown material. I typically have too many leaves to add in the Fall. So I stock pile my leaves behind my shed and slowly add them all year round–no stink!
Can I add meat products or dog waste?
First off, check with your local or neighborhood ordinances, these can be different in different areas. If the meat and pet were fed a grain based diet (read: vegetarian diet), then some folks say yes. The trouble come when we don’t know. Non-vegetarian diets can lead to bacteria that can transfer into our compost. Without checking the temperature of the heap, you won’t know if your pile is getting hot enough to kill the bacteria.
Or, if you aren’t planning on using your compost for an edible garden, only for ornamental, yes.
When in doubt, skip it to be safe!
Can I compost faster?
The true answer is no. Compost has an optimal rate at which it will break down, but chances are, the conditions you are composting in aren’t completely perfect, so there are a few things you can do to "speed" up the process–or compost at the optimal rate:
- Cut yard and food scraps into smaller piece–this is easier for them to break down.
- Mix your compost when you add new product. This helps keep your compost at the 50/50 ratio and well mixed.
- Place your pile or bin in the sunlight. Getting more sunlight will keep your heap hot which aids in the compost process.
- Add more leaves and fresh cut grass–grass and leaves are the optimal mix of compost material.
- Add Compost activator/accelerator. This is the enzymes that are naturally produced as you compost. The bacteria and enzymes can easily die in cold weather or your pile may yet to have produced a lot. (Tip: Add Compost Activator to your compost every Spring to give it a kick start after the cold winter months!)
