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Cooperative Extension Service |
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Agricultural
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Arbor Day
Dale Bumpers College
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CompostingComposting offers a YIMBY (Yes! In My Back Yard) solution to the organic components of the municipal solid waste stream. Yard trimmings make up at least 13% of what households put out for disposal. Food wastes comprise another 10% of the total waste volume. That works out to about 200 pounds of yard trimmings and another 150 pounds of food waste per person per year. These 2 segments alone can reduce our total waste volume by almost one fourth and yield an end product - COMPOST, that is a valuable soil amendment. What is CompostingComposting is the biological decomposition of organic matter. Decomposition occurs naturally, but it can be accelerated. Microorganisms, worms, and insects break organic materials into compost. Compost contains nutrients that, when returned to the soil, are used by plants. This is nature's way of recycling. What Can Be CompostedAny natural organic material can be composted. Examples are grass clippings, weeds, tree leaves, hedge clippings, straw, livestock manures and kitchen waste Also, many manufactured organic materials that are not waxed or plastic-coated, such as newspapers, paper boxes, clothing scraps and wood shavings are compostable and may be used. |
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University of Arkansas • Division of Agriculture |
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