Green Daily

Gallery: Compost Bins

Much of what people throw in trash cans could be thrown in their back yard and make it look beautiful. All those apple cores, egg shells, coffee grounds, banana peels, the lettuce you didn't get a chance to eat before it wilted beyond tolerance are all candidates for composting.

If you've got a garden, you probably already know compost is the key to your success with home grown flowers, shrubs, trees, fruits and vegetables. It replaces the need for commercial fertilizers and can be made for free. According to Compostguide.com, using compost improves soil structure, texture, and aeration and increases the soil's water-holding capacity and stimulates healthy root development in plants. But even if you've got nothing more than weeds surrounding your domicile, composting makes sense; an estimated one third of the space in landfills is taken up with organic waste that we could be composting. That includes all those grass clippings and leaves you haul to the curb for collection in summer and fall. Some cities are forcing the issue by refusing to take them. Composting serves as a cheap and easy alternative for dealing with waste and for anyone to help conserve landfill space.

So how do you start? Well, many gardening forums and online resources are littered with tips, such as deciphering what can and can't go into the pile and bin styles. This one is pretty good. Many gardeners use open homemade systems, but they can be a bad choice if you've got a small property or have pets who are big, strong and athletic enough to defeat a fence constructed around the pile. Check with your local municipal waste management company; they might offer free compost bins and classes. If not, there are various containers on the market that can be used in the yard or your kitchen.

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