Education Corner: Composting 101

Keep Pinellas Beautiful’s vision is to create a culture of environmentally responsible citizens within our communities throughout Pinellas County, Florida. Our four focal areas are: litter prevention, waste reduction, conservation and beautification and community greening. One way to help support KPB’s efforts in reducing waste is to compost with your family. In this edition of Education Corner, I will provide information about composting and 3 different activities you can do with students ranging from toddlers to middle school.

Why should I compost?

Composting is a natural way of recycling organic materials like leaves, grass clippings and food scraps into a fertilizer that provides benefits to the soil, plants and local wildlife. This aerobic method of recycling organic waste provides an ideal environment for bacteria, fungi, and decomposing organisms like worms, nematodes and more.

Benefits

1. Composting can dramatically help the environment but also assist in the economy as well. Did you know that in 2019, the United States spent about $55 per ton in costs assisted with landfill municipal solid wastes? Our country created more than 292.4 million tons of waste in 2018. Studies show that about 28% of what we throw out is food scraps and grass/leaves clippings.

2. Besides the financial benefits of composting, methane emissions from landfills also are reduced when families and individuals choose to compost.

3. Composting can add additional elements into the soil such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Another benefit is that using compost soil in your yard will help stop the occurrence of plant diseases and pests.

4. Soil erosion decreases as composted areas can retain water longer and improve overall health. Composting also reduces the need for chemical fertilizers as it provides a more natural state.

As you can see, composting has many benefits, so what are you waiting for? Let’s get started!

What to compost

The EPA recommends that “All composting requires three basic ingredients”:

• Browns - This includes materials such as dead leaves, branches, and twigs.                   

• Greens - This includes materials such as grass clippings, vegetable waste, fruit scraps, and coffee grounds.

• Water - Having the right amount of water, greens, and browns is important for compost development.

Your compost pile should have an equal amount of browns to greens. You should also alternate layers of organic materials of different-sized particles. The brown materials provide carbon for your compost, the green materials provide nitrogen, and the water provides moisture to help break down the organic matter.

What you CAN compost:

• Fruits and vegetables

• Eggshells

• Coffee grounds and filters

• Tea bags

• Nut shells

• Shredded newspaper

• Cardboard

• Paper

• Yard trimmings

• Grass clippings

• Houseplants

• Hay and straw

• Leaves

• Sawdust

• Wood chips

• Cotton and Wool Rags

• Hair and fur

• Fireplace ashes

What NOT To Compost and Why

• Black walnut tree leaves or twigs
              - Releases substances that might be harmful to plants

• Coal or charcoal ash
              - Might contain substances harmful to plants

• Dairy products (e.g., butter, milk, sour cream, yogurt) and eggs*
              - Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and flies

• Diseased or insect-ridden plants
              - Diseases or insects might survive and be transferred back to other plants

• Fats, grease, lard, or oils*
              - Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and flies

• Meat or fish bones and scraps*
              - Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and flies

• Pet wastes (e.g., dog or cat feces, soiled cat litter)*
              - Might contain parasites, bacteria, germs, pathogens, and viruses harmful to humans

  Yard trimmings treated with chemical pesticides
              - Might kill beneficial composting organisms

  *Check with your local composting or recycling coordinator to see if these organics are accepted by your community curbside or drop-off composting program.

Potential supplies recommended

Pitchforks, bins, gloves, square-point shovels, and water hose with spray head.

How to compost?

Follow these steps from the EPA to create your own compost at home:

Backyard Composting:

• Select a dry, shady spot near a water source for your compost pile or bin.

• Add brown and green materials as they are collected, making sure larger pieces are chopped or shredded.

• Moisten dry materials as they are added.

• Once your compost pile is established, mix grass clippings and green waste into the pile and bury fruit and vegetable waste under 10 inches of compost material.

• Optional: Cover top of compost with a tarp to keep it moist. When the material at the bottom is dark and rich in color, your compost is ready to use.

Indoor Composting:

If you do not have space for an outdoor compost pile, you can compost materials indoors using a special type of bin, which you can buy at a local hardware store, gardening supplies store, or make yourself. Remember to tend your pile and keep track of what you throw in. A properly managed compost bin will not attract pests or rodents and will not smell bad. Your compost should be ready in two to five weeks.

Activity for toddlers and preschoolers

Goal: Identify the colors, shape, and texture of the items

1. Save items throughout the day from the what to compost section above. Go on a nature walk or help in the backyard clean up areas after storms to find items to use for composting. Discuss these items using questions below.

2. Match the item with pictures and words.

   • Print pictures of the items or find pictures in magazines you will be using from the section above: What to compost.

   • Print or write the words on small pieces of paper.

   • Have the child match the picture with the word. For the older preschoolers, you can have them read the word or spell the word.

Questions to ask:

1. What color(s) do you see?

2. How does this feel?

3. What shape is the item?

Activity for elementary school students

Goal: Discuss the role of worms

1. Elementary students can also have discussions about worms and the benefits of decomposers.

2. Discussions can be focused also around producers, consumers and decomposers.

3. Follow this EPA resource for creating and maintaining an indoor worm composting bin.

Questions to ask:

1. Which items in the compost bins are producers? Where do they get the energy from?

2. Are humans a producer, consumer or decomposer? Why?

3. What is the role of a worm?

Activity for middle school students

Goal: Create your compost

1. Design your composting bin and garden in your backyard. Pick one, two or three of the connections below and share with us.

   • Math connection: draw your garden to scale and explore how you calculate the area or perimeter of your yard.

   • Art connection: take pictures of the garden to create a Powerpoint, Prezi presentation or scrapbook of your journey.

   • Writing connection: Write a poem or story.

Don’t forget to share your experience with us!