Try This At Home

Backyard Compost

Objective
To identify biodegradable products, to build and maintain a compost pile in your own backyard, reduce the amount of trash you send to a landfill, and to create a useful product.

Background
18% of the trash that ends up in our landfills comes from yard waste and other biodegradable items. An item that is biodegradable can be broken down by the actions of living microorganisms, oxygen, heat and moisture. Examples of biodegradable items include grass clippings, apple cores, coffee grounds, leaves, and shredded newspaper. Optional: Download US EPA's Parent's Guide to Composting.

Materials Needed

• Shovel or pitchfork
• Compost bin construction materials (refer to step 2)
• Biodegradable materials (refer to step 5 and 6)
• Water

Procedure

1. Choose a location for your compost pile. The location should be on a level, well-drained surface of pavement or bare earth.
2. With the help of an adult, build a bin for your compost pile. The materials that are available to construct your bin are limitless. Options include chicken wire, cinder blocks, bales of hay, wooden pallets and lumber. In addition, compost bins can be purchased from your local garden or hardware store. Build or purchase your compost bin as large or as small as you wish. If you live in an extremely dry or wet climate, you might consider adding a cover to your bin to retain or keep out excess moisture.
3. After your bin has been constructed, wet the ground under the bin. Add two inches of wet dirt to the bottom of your bin if it is located on pavement or has a sealed base. Proper moisture is key to a good compost pile.
4. Lay a four to six inch layer of twigs and branches at the bottom of your bin. This will allow for air circulation.
5. Now add thin layers of biodegradable materials like fresh grass clippings, leaves, twigs, coffee grounds, potato peelings, animal waste, water, etc. You want the different items to mix and come in contact with one another. This will allow bacteria to grow and produce heat causing the items to decompose.
6. Continue adding biodegradable items over the next few weeks. Examples include fruit and vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, stale bread, and yard waste. Avoid adding food items that contain meat, fat, or processed sugars as they are slow to break down and may attract unwanted wildlife. Be sure to stir your pile with a shovel or pitchfork once a week to keep things mixed and ensure that everything remains moist. Add water when necessary.
7. When individual materials can no longer be identified and the pile resembles dark, rich soil, the compost is completed (this may take six weeks to two years depending on various factors including moisture, oxygen, volume of material, and temperature). Use this composted material in your garden as a fertilizer or pile it around the base of trees to help retain moisture in the soil.

Conclusion
Composting reduces the amount of items that enter into landfills. Compost piles create nutrient rich soil that can act as an environmentally friendly fertilizer for vegetable gardens, flowers, trees and shrubs.

Activity Source
The Groundwater Gazette, published by The Groundwater Foundation