Composting

What can be composted?

• Fruit scraps
• Vegetable scraps
• Coffee grounds & filters
• Newspaper (tear into strips)
• Rice, stale bread, pasta
• Egg shells
• Tea bags
• Paper napkins
• Sawdust & wood shavings
• Dried leaves & small twigs
• Dried grass & weeds
• Hedge clippings
• Plant trimmings & flowers

What can't be composted?

• Meat (and scraps) & fish
• Dairy Products (milk, cheese)
• Bones
• Fats & oils
• Cat/dog waste
• Barbecue charcoal
• Chemically treated matter
• Poison Ivy or other toxic plants
  • Avoids placing weeds that have gone to seed in your compost as the seeds may survive the composting process and grow new weeds when you use your compost in your garden.
• Litter box materials
• Plastic and metal materials
• Grease

Why Bother with Backyard composting?

• Compost is a cost-free, chemical-free soil enricher that provides plants with required nutrients
• Can lower water bills by enhancing water conservation in soil
• Strengthens root structure in plants
• Promotes weed and erosion control and reduces air pollution
• Reduces emissions of methane gas in landfills and reduces air pollution that is created when waste is transported
• Reduces household garbage by 1/3

Does composting smell? 

Compost has a pleasant aroma; however, foul odours may occur if there is a lack of oxygen or the material is too wet. Turning your compost pile several times throughout the season to help circulate oxygen and keep foul odours away.

How long does material take to compost? 

The decomposition of organic material can take anywhere from two weeks to two years. The decomposition time depends on how effectively the material is turned, what the moisture content is, and the internal / external temperatures.

Can I compost in the winter?

Households can continue to compost through the winter. The decomposition process will slow down and the material will freeze, but the pile will become active again in the spring.

What Compost Bin Should I Use?

• Plastic Compost Bin: pre-made bins that can be purchased at a local hardware or garden-type store. Compost bins are also available for $41.90 at Arnprior Town Hall.
• Heap Composting: materials are piled on top of each other directly on the ground. The pile can be added to or a new pile can be formed in another location. Heaps tend to sprawl and shrink to short mounds.
• Wooden Bin: with wood planks or pallets, create a box with no top and have the bottom of the box as either a hole in the ground, wiring or wood planks or pallets. The top can be covered by a plastic material to reduce moisture loss and keep out rain and snow.
• Wire Bin: use prefabricated fence wire to create a cylinder shape with no top and a bottom of either wiring or simply a hole in the ground. If desired, the cylinder can be lined with a material that allows air flow, such as landscaping fabric. The top can be covered with a plastic material to reduce moisture loss and keep out rain and snow.

Tips and Tricks

• Avoid attracting animals and flies by using a container with a tight fitting lid
• When possible, chop larger materials into smaller pieces
• Keep materials as moist as a squeezed out sponge

Advantages

• Reduces waste, as well as thatch, and increases lawns resistance to disease, drought and insects
• Releases valuable nutrients, adds water-saving mulch, and encourages natural soil aeration by earthworms
• 50% of lawn's fertilizer needs are met, reducing time and money spent fertilizing
• Reduces water bills by conserving water because clippings hold moisture in the lawn
• Mowing time is reduced since bagging and disposal of clippings is eliminated
• Reduces the volume of yard waste entering landfills

Tips and facts

• Avoid excess watering and fertilizing; this can be destructive to the lawn
• Grass clippings contain 85% – 90% water content
• Do not cut grass during a drought or when grass is wet
• Mow lawn using sharp blades to reduce clumping