It’s that time of the year again when the days grow shorter, the nights are cooler, and millions of leaves begin to fall from the trees. Because Sacramento County has thousands of trees and hundreds of acres of lawns, a tremendous amount of yard waste is generated during the fall. Instead of filling up your green waste container week after week, why not try composting instead?
“Fall is a great time to have some fun and get composting as there is an abundance of brown (carbon) and green (nitrogen) rich materials that are required to compost, including dried leaves, grass clippings and even coffee grounds,” said Doug Eubanks, Recycling Coordinator with the Department of Waste Management and Recycling.
Compost is great to mix with potting soil as a soil amendment to be blended into the soil around garden plants. Composting will improve the general health of your soil, aid in erosion control and help control soil fertility.
It generally takes from three to six months to create a single batch of compost. While there is no single “correct” method for composting, there are several variations based on the scientific composting principle of aerobic decomposition. All it takes is a few months to create a valuable product that can help you save some money and help the community by extending the life of the landfill.
“In a recent survey of our customers, we estimated that almost 9,000 tons annually of plant debris and food scraps were diverted from the landfill through the efforts of backyard composting ,” said Eubanks. “We do see a spike in yard waste this time of year, and backyard composting saves valuable landfill space.”
If you receive County curb-side garbage and recycling service, To learn more about composting and get a copy of a composting guide, contact the Sacramento County Department of Waste Management and Recycling’s composting page at www.sacgreenteam.com/education/composting.htm to learn more about composting. You may also request a free copy of the Sacramento Backyard Composting Guide or download a copy from the website.