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70% HOW TO:
START COMPOSTING
on Do-It-Yourself
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ooking to start going greener and have no idea where to start? Look no further than your dinner plate. If you’re eating a lot of vegetables, then you are a person who probably could be composting — which will help your houseplants, make your garden explode with happiness and reduce your trash bill. Marilyn Carothers, a master composter who often teaches free workshops on composting at Sun People Dry Goods, says pretty much anyone can compost with the right materials. If you’ve got a yard and a fledgling garden, you can make room for a compost bin. Carothers says you can start composting with simple, available materials: grass, leaves, biodegradable food waste. She says first-time composters should ensure their compost bin never sees pet waste, oils,
fats, meat, dairy or chemical-coated products, like paper plates. Apartment dwellers can also get in on the action by vermicomposting — aka composting with worms. Carothers recommends reading up on vermicomposting first in order to “keep the worms happy.” But essentially, worms break down kitchen waste and then poop it out — and that worm poo is “very nutritious for plants.” Aspiring composters are in luck: Spokane Regional Solid Waste System is hosting its Spring Compost Fair on Saturday, April 27, from 11 am to 2 pm, where county residents (bring proof of your residency) can learn how to compost and take home a free compost bin. Check out solidwaste.org for all the details. (LEAH SOTTILE)
2013 Spokane Convention Center
April 19-21
30 INLANDER APRIL 18, 2013