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Compost

What is compost?

Compost is nature's ultimate recycling system, where living or once-living materials break down into a rich soil amendment called compost.

Why compost?

Composting is a cheap and easy way to turn yard and food waste into a resource. By adding compost to the soil, you can grow a healthier lawn and garden that requires less water and fewer chemicals. Composting food and yard waste can also save 20 percent of Boulder's available landfill space.

Simply make a pile or put the following "recipe" in a bin. The ingredients invite guests like worms, beetles and fungus to create rich organic matter. This organic product improves the soil without the use of chemical fertilizers. Compost breaks up heavy soils, adds nutrients and improves water-holding capacity.

Recipe for Compost

3' x 3' x 3' to hold heat efficiently
2 parts "brown" (dried leaves, straw)
1 part "green" (grass clippings, weeds, fruit and vegetable waste)

Tips

Chop materials into small pieces to speed breakdown.
Compost should be moist like a wrung-out sponge. It should smell earthy and look like soil when it is done.
For faster composting, "stir" your compost pile after it reaches 140 degrees.
Mow your lawn about every 5 days, and cut no more than 1/3 of the grass blade. Lawns are healthiest when mowed at 2.5 - 3" high.
Leave grass clippings on the lawn for a healthier, greener lawn that is more resistant to disease. Leaving clippings on the lawn is easier than bagging and hauling, saves you money, and helps fertilize grass naturally.
Use a mulching mower, or retrofit your existing mower with a mulching kit. Mulching mowers cut the grass into small pieces which break down easily.
Read our Composting at Home tip sheet for more information!

Visit Boulder's backyard composting demonstration site near the Community Gardens for more tips and ideas!

More Composting Info:

For more information:
Eco-Cycle: 303-444-6634 or 303-772-7300

Last Updated on Tuesday, 24 July 2012 13:46