Conscious Choice: Learn How to Compost

April 2006 | Ask the Green Commish

Learn How to Compost

By Sadhu A. Johnston

Editor’s note: Wondering about the environment or what the city is doing about it in your neighborhood? Well, in this new monthly column you can ask Sadhu A. Johnston, the City of Chicago’s Environmental Commissioner.

Dear Green Commish, I am interested in composting but don’t know how or where to begin. Is this really important? Do I need a bin? What do I include? What should I not include? Are there free workshops where I can learn? — I Need the Real Dirt

DEAR I NEED THE REAL DIRT, Let me begin by congratulating you. You are looking at reducing the amount of organic wastes being added to landfills and creating a valuable product to benefit your garden. Compost is a dark, crumbly, sweet-smelling substance made up of partly decomposed organic materials and is part of a cycle of returning plant-healthy nutrients to your soil. Compost can be used for ornamental gardens, raised vegetable beds and houseplants.

Composting can be accomplished on various scales ranging from a large farm-size operation on acres of land to an apartment-sized vermiculture (worm-bin) kit that can stay tucked away in the corner of the kitchen. And for those of us in between, there are backyard bins for kitchen scraps, lawn waste and the seasonal debris of a Midwestern garden.

Here are the 10 steps to better composting from the Department of Environment:

1. Pick a shady, well-drained spot in your yard. Bins may be placed on lawn, bare soil, paving brick or concrete, but be aware that liquid will discharge from the bin over time and drainage should be accounted for.

2. Build or purchase your bin from a home and garden center. Bins should be rodent-resistant with lockable lids and bottoms and no openings larger than a quarter-inch. Bins can be constructed out of nontoxic, weather-resistant lumber such as cedar or recycled plastic, and lined with wire mesh to discourage vermin.

3. Install your bin.

4. Gather a variety of compostable materials (See list below). Variety is key to composting success.

5. Chop or grind larger and woody materials in order to speed up the process.

6. Build your compost pile in layers. Start with fresh grass clippings, dried leaves and food scraps. It may be best to bury the food scraps in your bin to discourage wildlife.

7. Water each layer so that it is “sponge damp.” The correct amount of moisture is key to composting success.

8. Turn the pile a couple of times each month. This will keep the pile at a perfect temperature and introduce oxygen.

9. Be patient. It may take as little as two weeks or as long as several months before your compost has taken on the dark, crumbly “feel” of compost.

10. Harvest your compost from the bottom, where the best material is, and continue to add layers on top.

Do Compost:

Leaves, twigs and grass clippings
Fruits and vegetable peelings
Bread
Eggshells
Coffee grounds and tea leaves
Mulch and wood chips
Wood ashes
Non-pressure-treated sawdust and shavings
Garden waste and weeds
Shredded paper

Do not compost:

Meat
Bones
Oil or fat
Dairy products
Animal feces
Colored newspapers or magazines
Plastics
Charcoal ashes
Plants or grass clippings that have been treated with chemicals
Diseased or infected plants

There are resources to support you in your composting effort. Workshops are held at locations around the city including the North Park Village Nature Center, Garfield Park Conservatory, Chicago High School for Agriculture Sciences, and Chicago Center for Green Technology. Bins are available for sale at many Chicago-area home and garden centers. Composting information and links to various resources are available through cityofchicago.org/environment or call the ROTline, a compost hotline, at 773-265-9587.

Once again, congratulations to you and all those reducing the waste stream through recycling and composting. I’m sure your plants and trees will be the envy of your neighborhood in no time!

Sadhu A. Johnston is Commissioner of Chicago’s Department of Environment, which administers programs to protect and restore Chicago’s natural resources; reduce waste; clean up brownfields; promote energy efficiency and reliability; educate the public about environmental issues; and enforce the City’s environmental protection laws.

Got a question for the Environmental Commissioner? E-mail. Please make sure to put in the subject line: Ask the Green Commish. Or via regular mail to Ask the Green Commish, c/o Conscious Choice , 920 N. Franklin, Suite 202, Chicago, IL 60610.

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