Select Bin
In Norco, your compost bin can be a covered or uncovered container, or, if not contained, protected from wind so odor or debris doesn’t leave the site. The compost can’t be more than 20 cubic yards, or 40 yards if your property is over one acre, and placed 20 feet or more away from any habitable building. Various compost bins exist, but the simplest way to create one is to convert a trash can by drilling holes around the side and bottom to allow for proper ventilation.
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Add Materials
Once you have your compost bin and your site picked out, let’s talk materials.
Compost works best using two parts green and one part brown. “Greens” include fresh materials or materials high in nitrogen, and “browns” include dead or dry materials. Here are some great items to compost:
- Grass clippings (green)
- Leaves (green), dead leaves (brown)
- Weeds (green), dead or dry weeds like tumbleweed (brown)
- Dead plants (brown)
- Fruit and vegetable scraps (green)
- Manure (green)
- Straw and hay (brown)
- Newspaper (brown)
- Coffee grounds (green)
The following materials are not allowed to be composted in Norco:
- Meats
- Fats and oils
- Grease
- Bones
- Eggs and dairy
- Human or pet waste
- Hazardous chemicals
- Diseased plants
Once you have your compost materials, start by adding some browns to the base of your bin, then add compost materials over time, remembering that 2:1 Green to Brown ratio.
Add Volume
Now that you know what to put in your compost pile, let’s talk volume.
A good compost pile or bin should have 3 to 6 vertical feet of compost. When your compost pile is too big, it prevents air from reaching the center of the pile, which is necessary for biologic processes of decay.
Add Moisture
You now understand the materials to use and the size, but what about moisture?
Norco is a dry and windy city. For organic materials to break down, bacteria and other microorganisms need to have an environment in which they can thrive. To promote micro organismal growth, water is essential. Otherwise, your compost will dry out and can’t decay. If your compost bin is covered, every few days, take off the lid and make sure the compost looks moist, If it isn’t, spray it down with water, but don’t flood your bin.
Provide Air
After you’ve collected your materials, picked your size and location, and added moisture, you need to think about air.
All of those microorganisms need to breath. When they are trying to eat the compost at the center of your pile, they still need oxygen, and for that you will want to make sure your compost bin has holes or gaps in order for air to get in and out – this will speed the process up. Simply using an uncovered trashcan isn’t enough because air will struggle to reach the bottom of the bin. By cutting holes on the bottom and side, you ensure air can get exposed to as much of the bin as possible.
Turn Compost
Turn your compost every one-to-two weeks in order to move the microorganisms around, introduce fresh air, and allow materials that are fresher to mix better and decay faster. If you have a compost bin like the trash can style bin, you can tip the bin over, roll it on the ground, and shovel what falls out back in when you’re done. Other bins that can’t be moved as easily can be mixed with a shovel in the bin. Some people purchase tumbler compost bins that have a handle for spinning the compost – these tend to compost the fastest, but are usually smaller and more expensive.
Use Compost
Once your compost begins to resemble chunky potting soil, it’s ready to use! Here are some helpful tips to make things easier:
- Compost piles can heat up to 140°F. This can kill most seeds in the pile, but many noxious weeds can survive composting. Avoid composting aggressive plants like Bermuda grass, morning glory and crab grass, as it can survive composting.
- If your compost starts to smell, you likely added something you shouldn’t. Turning the compost pile more and letting it dry out briefly can help fix the smell, as well as covering the top of your compost in browns.
- If you’re a big coffee drinker, coffee grounds are super high in nitrogen and make a great addition to compost. Some Starbucks locations will allow you to take their coffee grounds for free at the end of the day.
- If you use a lot of single use paper plates and utensils, try looking for compostable plates and utensils. This is a great way to get an extra use out of them and save space in your trash bin.
- Some ingredients are very high in nitrogen, and adding too much of it can make your compost too high in nitrogen. This can end up nitrogen-burning your plants. Chicken manure, horse manure, and coffee are all very high in nitrogen. If you are using a lot of it in your compost, make sure to let the compost age longer, and add more browns to avoid the compost getting too high in nitrogen. Too much nitrogen can also overheat your pile, and even make it combust.
- Don’t worry. This all sounds like a lot, but don’t stress. Composting is like baking desserts—you can mess up a lot and still end up with something desirable. If you forget to turn your compost, or add water, or add enough browns, don’t sweat – your pile is still at work, it’s just slower.
