The Dirt

Breaking it down.

Many people view composting as an infested, smelly mess that will make your neighbors call the neighborhood association on you. In reality, composting is a very natural process that when following a few simple rules can provide valuable soil for your garden or houseplants. So when you compost, what are you doing in the first place?

Compost is slightly and eventually completely broken down organic matter, referred to some in the biz as “humus”. Yes, it is often found in a pile in your yard, but it doesn’t necessarily have an odor. Compost is created every single day in nature by the breakdown of natural materials such as leaves, grass clippings, animal poop – it’s all part of the nutrient cycle. This process is caused by tiny microorganisms in the soil (tiny bugs like bacteria and fungi) and other insects such as earthworms that munch on the organic material.

The benefits of composting range from saving money on your trash bill to creating useful natural fertilizer for your plants. Since it is already a natural process, fiddling with your heap of compost will help create good conditions for the decomposition process, effectively producing useful “fertilizer” in as little as several weeks. It also helps extend the life of landfills since 26% of the waste stream is yard waste and food scraps that can be composted (EPA, 2009). When you throw organic material into a landfill, it is not given the proper amount of air to decompose. These materials start breaking down even though there isn’t enough air and in turn release methane gas, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global climate change.

• How to Compost.org
• Composting: The Basics
• 13 Common Composting Myths

Myths about composting come from a variety of sources, and it’s important to know the facts before beginning a project like this.