If you are looking for a great way to reduce the amount of waste you are depositing in the landfill, and want to something positive for your environment, you may not have to look any further than creating your own compost pile. While not all waste can go into a compost pile, you may be surprised at some of the things that can. Knowing the difference between what can, and what cannot be composted, may make the difference in whether you are successful or not in your endeavors.

Why Compost?

Every day  Americans produces an average of 4.6 pounds of trash. Of this amount, less than one quarter of the trash is recycled, although approximately 70% of it could be. This means things are being buried or burned, which could still have a useful life. Composting gives many of these things you would normally put out in the trash the ability to return and enrich the earth, rather to be entombed in it. Unfortunately, there are some things not suitable for your composting pile, but it will not take you long to learn the difference.

What Things Do You Want To Save And Compost?

When you begin to read articles on composting, you will find people often refer to two basic categories. These are materials that are brown and green. Unfortunately, they do not always mean things that are literally these colors. Here is a basic rule of thumb to remember.

• Brown things are materials that are carbon rich. These materials provide energy for your microorganisms to work with. These include the following:
  • Dry leaves
  • Woody plant stems and trimmings
  • Shredded newspaper, paper towels, or other unwaxed papers
  • Pine needles in limited amounts due to the amount of time it takes for the needles to break down. 
• Green things are materials that are nitrogen rich. These are the proteins your microorganisms need as they work. Some of these are
  • Your food scraps to include coffee grounds, tea, and tea bags, corn cobs, eggshells, fruit pits, shellfish shells, bread and grain products, all types of vegetables, and more.
  • Fresh grass clippings
  • Cut flowers
  • Leafy plant trimmings
  • Dry animal manure
  • Feathers, hair, and fur
  • Animal bedding materials, and more

As you can see most of these things are things that you would ordinarily put out in your garbage.

What Things Should Not Go In Your Composting Pile?

Obviously there are things that should go into your compost pile. Some of these things are obvious such as paint, motor oil, and other household chemicals. Some may not be as obvious. Some of these include

• Used personal care items soiled with bodily fluids
• Coated, or metallic papers
• Diseased plants
• Weeds, or aggressive garden plants
• Human feces

There are other household materials which can be composted, but many gardeners avoid due to them attracting unwanted pests. They may be appropriate if you are using an enclosed composting system. These include cooking oils, meat, and meat products, baked goods, milk products, and cooked pasta.

What Are The Benefits Of Composting?

The benefits of composting are numerous in addition to reducing the amount of waste you place on the curb each week. Consider these:

Composting Will Reduce Your Dependence On Chemical Fertilizers - This will give you peace of mind, knowing you can grow beautiful fruits and vegetables without the addition of chemicals that may be dangerous to your family.  

Composting Will Save You Money - The average U.S. household spends approximately $347 per year on their lawn and garden. While some of these costs are incurred buying plants, seeds, and chemicals, money is also being spent on mulch, fertilizer, and soil conditioner that you can make by composting. 

Composting Will Reduce Your Water Usage In Your Gardens - The richer your soil, the better it will retain moisture, which in turn will reduce the amount of water you will have to use. This can be a real benefit during the summer months when you may be forced to water on a limited schedule.

These are just a few of the benefits of composting. It is important for everyone to work together to reduce their carbon footprint. Composting is one of the easy ways you can do this. Waste removal through composting and through companies like Progressive Waste Solutions of FL Inc. is simple way to get rid of your trash.