Agenda - Council Work Session - 02/28/2017

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Using compost as mulch can reduce moisture loss. Top dressing your lawn with compost to conserve moisture and add organic matter. Use compost in window boxes and container gardens where rapid moisture loss is a factor. Compost may also keep soils cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. MATERIALS TO COMPOST Many of us understand what we should compost, but we sometimes get confusing information about what we should NOT compost. Composting is a microbial process and microbes - also called microorganisms - will not decompose synthetic products such as plastics or glass. Meat, dairy, grease and oil can attract critters to your compost bin and, in an urban setting where homes are close together, can cause foul odors (and possibly complaints from your neighbors). Feces from pets may carry pathogens that could cause health problems and therefore should not be included in your compost. Weeds with seeds should be composted separately to reduce the potential for the weed seeds in your compost. Large pieces of wood do not compost quickly and require a lot of energy to decompose, so wood should be chipped or shredded and used minimally. Other organic materials that can be added to enhance the nutritive value of compost are blood and bone meal, cotton seed meal, livestock manure, and aquatic plants. What to Compost •Yard waste: grass clippings, plant trimmings, leaves, weeds without seeds, pine needles; • Kitchen waste: fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags, egg shells, potato peelings; •Small amounts of sawdust, wood chips, and small sticks; •Wood ashes: use no more than 1 cup per bushel of compost. Ashes act as a lime source and affect the pH of your compost. What NOT to Compost • Meat and dairy: meat pieces, dairy products, bones, fish scraps, raw eggs; • Fats: cooking oil, drippings and grease; • Synthetics: motor oil, glass, plastic, Styrofoam, polyester; • Feces from dogs, cats and humans; •Weeds with seeds; • Large pieces of wood. What about cuttings treated with herbicides? Studies have shown that low levels of herbicides are detectable even in well -decom- posed yard trimmings, but these levels are less than 1 % of the level found in trimmings prior to composting and is not considered a risk for using in the garden. Ideally, grass clippings from lawns treated with herbicides should be left on the lawn to decompose, also allowing the herbicides to degrade.