Backyard Composting

Composter Backyard composting compliments the Region’s curbside green bin program, and is a great way to reduce your household waste by up to one-third, while producing a rich soil conditioner for your garden, lawn and house plants. It is important to maintain your composter properly for it to be a success, consider the following tips:

Place your composter in a well-drained sunny spot. You can speed things up by cutting out the sod under the composter to invite worms and microbes in, which improves drainage.
Cut material into small pieces before placing them in your kitchen bucket. Once your kitchen bucket is full, take it to your composter.
Mix the new material into the existing pile using a pitchfork or other garden tool. This also adds oxygen, which is a key component to successful composting.
Cover kitchen material with a layer of yard material or soil. This will add carbon, and reduce the chance of odours and fruit flies.
Keep compost material slightly damp.
Harvest the finished compost. Use it on your lawn or garden as a natural fertilizer.

For further tips on composting visit www.compost.org

Composters are available for sale at the Durham Recycling Centre, 4600 Garrard Rd. Whitby, ON For more information call 905-579-5264 or 1-800-667-5671 or email waste@durham.ca.

Coffee grounds and filters
Egg shells
Fruits
Garden plants
Grass clippings (small amount)
Leaves
Paper egg cartons
Paper drink trays
Straw/hay
Tea bags
Vegetables
Wood chips and sawdust (not pressure treated wood)

Dairy products
Fats, grease or oils
Fish
Food sauces
Glass
Invasive weeds
Meat
Metals
Pet waste
Poultry (including bones)
Plastics