Composting at home is an easy way to save money on your garbage bill and combat climate change while creating fresh soil for your garden! Want to learn how to do it?
Online Resources
There is a ton of information on the web! For example, check out this video from our friends at Stopwaste.org in the Eastbay: https://youtu.be/po0a_VS7F0w
Later this year, Zero Waste Marin will be offering free, two-hour composting courses for Marin County residents. These classes will cover basic composting skills such as mulching, building a hot pile, and transforming food scraps with worms. Each participant receives a free kitchen compost pail! Visit our Home Composting Courses page late this Fall to learn more or to sign up for a course.
Here are a couple of resources and tips to help you get started with composting at home:
- Avoid adding meat scraps, fish bones, bacon fat, cleaning chemicals, pet waste or diseased plants to your backyard compost pile. These items can attract pests and spread disease.
- Place your compost bin in an area that is exposed to more sunlight or aerate your pile by mixing the contents every two weeks to speed up the composting process.
If you prefer to put your food scraps and yard trimmings in your green cart, you can! Start by visiting our Composting in Marin page for a general overview of items that can be placed in your green cart. A few tips:
- Yard and garden waste, such as flowers, grass and leaves, can go in your green cart. Meat, fish, moldy bread and veggie scraps can go in your cart as well.
- To prevent odors, layer yard waste, newspaper or shredded paper on the bottom of your green cart before adding food scraps. You can also wrap food waste in a paper bag or keep food waste in the freezer until collection day to help contain odors.
Zero Waste Marin works with cities and towns throughout Marin County to educate residents about home composting and yard waste in an effort to help improve the local environment.
