Plant and Garden Reference Information

Container Composting

Composting is the process of taking organic materials from the home and yard and placing them in piles to break down to usable soil once again. Traditionally, this home and yard material was placed in piles or trash bags to be taken to dumps and disposed of. This creates two major problems, the organic material is not returned to the soil, and the dumps and landfills are continuing to grow to unmanageable proportions.

Container composting allows the home owner to take the compost materials and place them in a container designed to facilitate the process of breaking down organic matter into usable nutrients. These compost containers shield the organic materials from light and help to trap in warmth, both of these elements aid in the process of decomposition. Another benefit to container composting is that the containers are designed to provide the necessary airflow for decomposition to help increase efficiency and decrease the amount and potency of acrid odors caused by bacteria.

The materials that can be used for container composting are yard clippings, tree branches, leaves, fruit and vegetable rinds, coffee grounds, and a number of other organic materials. To add helpful nutrients to the pile it is suggested to add items like wood, paper, and manure to provide carbon and nitrogen to facilitate the breakdown process.

Container composting has evolved to include basic boxes, specially designed containers to permit airflow and heat retention, and mounted containers for simplified turning of the compost to accelerate even decomposition.