Nature’s recycling Story by HEATHER BUCKNER | File Photographs
PAGE 36: Trisha Williams keeps a compost pile in her yard. ABOVE: Produce is dumped into a compost pile.
W
hat if there was a way to have a healthier garden, save money and be environmentally proactive? According to Regional Extension Agent Nelson Wynn, there is — and it’s much easier than it may sound. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, roughly 75 percent of all municipal waste is material that could have been recycled. As a result, landfills are steadily filling up with recyclable material and being forced to close, said Wynn. Composting, however, takes that waste and puts it to use. Compost, explained Wynn, is like nature’s recycling. It’s a process in which microorganisms decompose something that was once living, or carbon-based, and turn it into something useful again.
“Compost happens all the time, naturally. Things fall on the ground and decompose and go back to the soil. Composters just take that process and try to speed it up,” Wynn explained. In nature, it could take years for compost to form, but, according to Wynn, composters can shorten this to weeks. Wynn said learning to compost doesn’t have to be difficult; there are a few simple tips and tricks to remember. First, in a barrel, small enclosure or even an open mound, construct a compost pile in layers. Alternate types of waste and add soil or finished compost to the mix. Wynn said to include both solid, coarse material, such as cardboard and wood chips and finer material, like grass clippings and coffee grounds. He did advise, however, not to add meat scraps, bones or fats to the pile because it could attract unwanted guests, like ants, rats or even June 2013 | 37