Composting 101: Pile it on

A popular way to increase a household’s eco-friendliness is to start composting.

Composting is the transformation process by which nature breaks down organic material, such as certain types of food leftovers and yard waste, into a nutrient-rich soil that can be used in gardens or even just dumped into the woods. Composting can reduce the amount of trash going into the landfill, while returning nutrients to the soil in an environmentally conscious way.

Setting up a pile can be as cheap or as expensive as you want, ranging from a homemade outdoor box created with scrap metal and wire to an indoor composting bin purchased at a cost of several hundred dollars.

Here is a barebones guide on getting started. If composting becomes something you are interested in, there are plenty of sites on the Internet and good books to provide tips and guidance.

- The first thing you need is to create a bin, either out of chicken wire or wood. The bin must have openings around the side so plenty of air can get in and provide the oxygen needed for the decomposition process. You also must be able to access the pile to turn it over every week or so to help that process. If you prefer, you can purchase a pre-made bin from gardening supply stores.

- Three things are critical to the decomposition process: air, moisture and temperature. The pile should be damp, but not wet. If the air/moisture balance is out of whack, you can help restore balance by introducing dry material or water, depending on the problem, and turning the pile over with a pitchfork to introduce more air into the mix. The material should be turned every week or so and that can be done using a pitchfork or by building the pile in a rotating bin.

- To create the first pile: Layer dry dead leaves, grass clippings, appropriate kitchen waste (see below) and a small amount of soil from your yard. Layers should be between 3 and 5 inches thick. You want a relatively even mix of brown and green materials — brown being dead leaves, dried straw and small sticks, and green being fresh grass clippings and appropriate kitchen waste. Throw in some worms from your yard to help the process, if you wish. Otherwise, add a little bit of water and let it sit. To make the process more efficient, chop the materials with a mulcher or even a large machete to create plenty of small pieces.

- Once set, the temperature of the pile should rise within a day to about 150 to 160 degrees. If the temperature does not rise, then you need more green materials, such as food waste and grass clippings. If the pile develops and ammonia smell, you need more brown materials, like dead leaves or straw. Add layers every week to keep the pile going and your garbage load lower.

- Turn the pile every week or so to add air to the mix and make sure the moisture content stays in the damp range. Within about a month, you’ll have compost ready for the garden.

- Appropriate kitchen waste includes vegetable leftovers, old eggshells that have been crushed, old bread, certain types of leftover fruit, apple cores and any other vegetative material that doesn’t have oil or grease in it.

- Things should not go into the pile: chemically treated wood, meat or animal materials, greasy food waste, citrus leftovers, human waste, pet waste, invasive weeds (the seeds could end up in your garden) bones, food waste with lots of salt, glossy paper or anything made from non-biodegradable materials.