Composting:UPDATED: A useful way to recycle and reduce your waste output

"Composting" is nature's way of recycling organic materials that many people harness to reduce their output of waste and make their own nutrient rich soil for gardening, thus saving money and helping the environment.

Microorganisms like bacteria and fungi found outside on the ground feed on organic materials such as dead plants and process them through digestion into premium quality soil components. The best part is, they do it for free!

It is estimated that about 50% of what ends up in plastic bags at the landfill could have been composted! That's a lot of plastic bags!

How to Compost:

1.Pick a sunny spot in your yard.

2.Turn the soil there with a rake or shovel.

This I didn't do, and opted to add a bag of $1.99 soil instead. 

3. Make or buy a compost bin. ( Wooden box, pallets wired together, old fencing, chicken wire and wooden posts, or plastic and metal bins found in stores).

We used 4 free pallets we got from my uncle's work (there are many places in town that just throw them away), some rope for 5 dollars, and a bag of soil to get the process started.

 4. Place the bin on top of your turned soil in your sunny spot.

5. Place a layer of small branches in the bottom  -  this will allow for air movement and drainage

6. If you want, add a bag of bought soil to help the process along faster (not absolutely necessary)

We added grass clippings from after mowing my lawn:

7. For the best and speediest process, alternate between wet and dry layers of material, such as a layer of fruit cores and scraps on top of a layer of leaf litter or newspaper.

We added some old fruit from my house and a peeling from a freshly eaten banana.

What can and can't be composted?

Do compost:

• Fruit and vegetable scraps (even rotten)
• Egg shells
• Fresh grass clippings
• Fresh weed clippings
• Dry leaves
• Straw/hay
• Sawdust
• Coffee grounds
  (including filters)
• Tea leaves (including bags)
• Napkins
• Paper
  (recycling is recommended)
• Pasta
• Bread
• Rice
• Peanut shells
• Fruit pits
• Natural fibres (cotton, linen, wool, untreated leather…

Don't compost:

• Meat and Fish
• Oil (fat)
• Bones
• Dairy products
• Rhubarb leaves (some sources say it is ok because the oxalic acid, which is toxic to kidneys, is neutralized as it decomposes)
• Weeds that have gone to seed or with persistent root systems
• Treated grass
• Diseased plants or leaves
• Wood ashes (highly alkaline, will make soil useless for growing plants)
• BBQ briquettes
• Animal or human excrements(can contain pathogens)
• Vacuum dust (unless your home uses all natural cleaning products)
• Materials contaminated by pesticides or other dangerous products (ex. : treated wood)
• Large quantities of waterlogged material

Maintenance: Turn your compost once a week with a shovel or other gardening tool. Maintain an even mixture of wet and dry materials.

It can take between 2 months and 2 years to break down materials, depending on temperature and what is added. 

This post will be updated with images from my own first time composting efforts.