Last week, we discussed the health hazards of burning our waste. Burning trash causes the release of toxic and carcinogenic chemicals called dioxins. To stay healthy, we also need the environment around us healthy.
Instead of burning our trash, how about recycling and composting? You would be surprised at how much less trash you will have when you recycle and compost the rest.
Many people are into recycling. Recycling is for materials that do not breakdown, or which will take hundreds of years to decompose.
In our homes, these are usually plastics and glass but can include aluminum, metals, rubber, and styrofoam.
Most homes reuse many recyclables. Separate these from your other trash. Have a designated container or area to store them until you can take these recyclables to the recycling site, or you may sell them to the dozens of vendors who go house to house on a regular basis. Many times we just give our plastics away to the vendors. They feel blessed, and our trash load is lighter.
The other solution to less trash is backyard composting. Composting uses God’s natural process to convert waste into a valuable resource — healthy, nutrient rich soil. You can use the composted soil as a fertilizer, mulch, and starter soil for other composts.
The composted soil helps sandy soil retain more moisture and reduce erosion. It can help clay soil become drier and less compact in which plants are able to grow better. Because it is high in nutrients, plants (especially vegetables) that grow in it are also high in nutrients.
To start composting is not complicated. We have been backyard composting for over 10 years now. We always used our composted soil on our little garden, or we gave extras away to neighbors and friends.
To start, you will need a heavy duty plastic bin or an area in your garden that is not too shady nor too wet but not too sunny either. Collect all your “brown” organic wastes like grass clippings, dried leaves, chopped up corn cobs, or sawdust and place a 4-8 inch layer on the bottom. Then take your “green” organic wastes like kitchen vegetable scraps, fruits, green plants, etc. and make the second layer with same depth. Sprinkle some regular soil, but not sterile soil or ones that have been heavily fertilized. Then sprinkle water on top enough to moisten and just have a couple of drops leak out when squeezed.
Repeat the same layering process until you run out of material. You do not really need starters or fertilizers because the soil that you include in the layers contain the natural bacteria to start the composting process. You may use manure from grass eating animals also.
Do not make your pile too big. No more than three feet in width and height. Do not place your pile next to wooden fences or trees. They will tend to rot as your compost “cooks”. Do not place your compost piles next to telephone/electrical posts either as these tend to be creosote soaked timber that emit harmful chemicals. Do not include any grease or any meat (except for fish).
If you are using plastic bins, get heavy duty as to be able to keep animals and rodents from getting in.
The same security idea would be needed for your backyard pile. You may turn or mix up your pile once a week, once a month, or not at all. Compost that is not turned do tend to decompose slower. The composting process should take from two to four months.
When the compost is done, the soil should be black, crumbly, dry, and does not smell of your trash (it should smell earthy). Let it sit for three more weeks to be sure the process is done, and then you can use your new soil.
The local department of Agriculture should have more in depth information. But composting could be as easy or as complicated as you make it.
It is like running. You can get technical training, or you can just lace up and run and learn as you go. Be kind to yourself and others.
Let’s compost!
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Author’s email: floridamsn@safe-mail.net
