Whether you're looking to clean up those summertime yard trimmings or disposing of table scraps, purchasing a compost bin can help you put your
trash to good use.
Compost bins allow users to decompose plant-based refuse -- such as coffee grounds, paper, grass trimmings and leaves -- into a material that can be used to fertilize soil.
You don't need a compost bin to make compost, but a bin helps prevent the odor and pests that a compost heap can attract.
``If you're going to compost food scraps, you should have it contained,'' said Claire Sullivan, executive director of the South Shore Recycling Cooperative.
One good place to start looking for a compost bin is your town's public works department. For example, many South Shore towns participate in a grant program through the state Department of Environmental Protection that allows them to sell compost bins at drastically reduced prices.
The two models available -- Earth Machine, with 10 cubic feet in capacity, and the New Age Composter, with a capacity of 24 cubic feet -- sell for between $60 and $100 at retail prices but can be purchased through participating towns for about $25.
When choosing your bin, you first need to take into account what you plan on composting, said Ann McGovern, consumer waste reduction coordinator with the DEP.
``For a lot of yard waste, I'd recommend the larger bin,'' McGovern said.
The two bins offered through the DEP grant program each provide similar features, although McGovern said the New Age Composter lets in more rain water, which can be useful in maintaining your compost.
Once you get your bin, you can start composting waste by simply putting plant-derived waste into the bin and mixing it with a little bit of water.
McGovern said the rule of thumb is to put in three parts ``brown'' material (paper and leaves, for example) for every one part ``green'' material (such as grass trimmings and vegetable waste).
The compost requires mixing on occasion to keep the concoction aerated. If you're willing to spend more than $100, you can purchase bins with turning mechanisms. But Sullivan and McGovern recommend simply using a garden hoe or pitchfork to stir your compost.
McGovern said summer is one of the best times to start composting waste
because of excess yard waste and because compost decomposes faster in warm weather. If you turn your compost once a week, you can have a fresh batch within three months, she said. If you're less active, it can take six months
to a year.
But when you're done, you've got a material that will help your garden shine next year.
``I use mine on my lawn and my gardens,'' Sullivan said. ``It works wonderfully, and saves me a trip to the landscape store.''
A.J. Bauer may be reached at ajbauer@ledger.com.
author: By A.J. Bauer