The Recycling Roundup Column, as published in the Northwest Herald February 7, 2008:

DON’T THROW THOSE FOOD SCRAPS DOWN THE GARBAGE DISPOSAL!

COMPOST IS EVERY GARDENERS TREASURE

By Alice Howenstine

Composting fits easily into one of the 3 R’s categories with which this column, Recycling Roundup, deals -- that of reuse.  Composting is not only the pile of leaves and corn husks you might have behind your garage—it takes on many faces, some of which will be explained further on.

In addition to being a great way to reuse, making compost will save you money in fertilizers and will make your plants happy and health.  The most important part of composting is to be aware of what you can compost.  Here is a general list of what is acceptable to use for your compost:

·         -Kitchen scraps—excluding meat, bones, and grease

·         -Grass clippings

·         -Leaves

·         -Weeds

·         -Twigs and wood chips

·         -Wood ashes

·         -Garden residue

·         -Shredded newspaper

·         -Lint and sweepings

·         -Pet and human hair

Finished compost is dark, crumbly, and earthy-smelling, and is a great addition to your natural garden and shrub soil. Gardeners often refer to it as “black gold”!

Let’s talk about kitchen food scrap composting,-- something that is with us each day.  First, make a spot on your sink for the compost container.  It doesn’t have to be very big, -- a large coffee can will work.  Instead of the snap-on lid that comes with the can, use something like a salad plate to cover it, so that one doesn’t have to use 2 hands to remove the lid before depositing things inside.   Scraps from meal preparation and  plate scrapings  go into the container.    Meat, bones and fatty foods should be kept out.    Once the compost container is full, it can head outside to one of many spots, depending on the time of year.  

All year around you can toss the compostable material into your compost bin or onto your compost pile.  But to save yourself some time, when the ground is able to be dug, you can bury the contents directly into the garden area.  In the late spring, summer and well into the fall. just dig a hole in between rows in the garden or under shrubs, pour in the can of food scraps, burying the contents 6 to 8 inches below the surface.  The composting process takes care of itself from here on.  The microbes and worms in the soil change your scraps into dark and crumbly food for the plants or shrubs and you don’t have to do another thing with it.  The composting process works more quickly when the weather is warm, but even in cool or cold weather, don’t despair, it does work!  Late one summer a friend of mine purchased one of the black dome-shaped composters that the McHenry County Defenders  sell and began using it. When  spring arrived I received a call from him saying, “What do I do now, it’s full!”   I suggested he give it a little time in the warmer spring weather and see what happens.  He called back later on and said “You were right, I can almost see it settling down in there, and the black stuff I’m taking out of the door at the bottom is great!”

You also can  just put all your compostables in a pile behind the garage. Vary the items that you put in.  We usually keep a bag of leaves nearby and toss on a few handfuls occasionally.  Weeds that are  pulled from the vegetable garden can go right onto the pile or into your bin, dirt and all.

People often ask how to deal with coffee grounds.  They are quite versatile.   Grounds can also go onto your compost pile or directly onto your garden or under shrubs. Once you become an avid composter you will no longer be using your garbage disposal a great deal.  You can put an occasional batch of coffee grounds into your disposal to help clean out residue but using your garbage disposal adds an unnecessary strain on your septic system or the local sewage treatment plant.  

When you locate your composting site, the ground should be your bottom surface.  Preferably put your bin on an area where you have spotted earthworms.  They are great assistants in the compositing process .  When you find worms on the sidewalk after a heavy rain, pick them up and put them on the top of the compost.  They’ll say “thanks” and quickly work their way down to start processing the food scraps in their own way.  Many people have worm composting bins to keep in their homes year around.

Directions for building worm bins, compost bins, or information about where they can be purchased are available through the McHenry County Health Department, the McHenry County Defenders,  the Lou Marchi Total Recycling Institute, and many of  township offices.

There are other forms of composting and reducing waste.  When mowing your lawn, for example, let the grass clippings  lie.  They will decompose and feed the soil.  Or use the grass clippings as mulch around your shrubs.  You can also mow your leaves in the fall as you mow your lawn.  If you decide you’d like to rake up some of the mowed leaves, they too can work as excellent  mulch around trees.  You can also spread a 2 inch layer on your garden, where they will begin decomposing over winter.  By spring, they can be tilled into the soil.   Whatever type of compositing you decide to do, enjoy the pleasures of working along with nature to improve the environment!

-Alice Howenstine is an avid composter, gardener and recycler.  She is known as the “Grandmother” of recycling and reusing in McHenry County and is presently on the McHenry County Defenders Board of Directors.