Composting 101: Turn Waste into Garden Gold (Part 1)

Compost is nature's recycling: organic waste → rich, living soil amendment. In forests, it happens slowly. In your yard, you can accelerate it.

Why Compost?

• 30% of landfill = kitchen/garden waste (source of methane & leachate).
• Returns nutrients to your soil—free fertilizer.
• Reduces transport emissions, incineration, new landfills.
• Balanced heap = no smell.

What Goes In

Garden: Grass clippings, soft prunings, leaves, weeds (no seeds), spent annuals.
Kitchen: Veg scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags, eggshells, fruit peels, hair, vacuum dust, paper bags.
No: Meat, dairy, fish, oils, diseased plants, woody branches (slow), pet waste.

Big Picture

Composting closes the loop. Your waste feeds your garden. Municipal programs exist—but home composting keeps the cycle local.

Next: Where & How

Part 2 covers bins, tumblers, trenches, heaps, and worm farms.