The Compost Council of Canada

Compost is a natural process through which organic material is converted into a soil-like product or humus (pronounced 'hue-mous'). The process works with the help of micro-organisms such as bacteria and fungi combined with air and moisture.

Compost is an important way to recycle and can be done at home. It is an easy way to reduce the amount of household garbage by about one third. As well, it produces a valuable soil amendment for use in gardening and landscaping.

What's In the Mix?
Most household organic waste can be composted at home. For backyard or home composting to work best, it is important to use selected material including:

From the Garden...
Leaves (chopped - to speed their breakdown)
Grass (not wet)
Plants & Weeds (without ripe seeds)
Old potting soil
Soft plant stems

From the Kitchen...
Fruit scraps
Vegetable trimmings
Egg shells (crushed)
Tea bags
Coffee grounds with filters
Shredded paper

DO NOT include...
Meat, fish and bones
Plastics
Metals
Fats and oils
Dairy products
Pet waste
Cheese, meat or other sauces

How To Compost

Home composting can be done with the use of a 'build your own' or with a commercial unit, often available through your municpality.

An important first step to getting started is to place your composter in a sunny area with good drainage. Make sure that the location is convenient and accessible year round.

Getting started...

Turn the soil in the location where the composter will be.
After placing the composter, cover the floor of it with a layer of small branches. This will allow for air movement and drainage.
Alternate wet (e.g. kitchen scraps) and dry (e.g. yard material) waste.
If available, add some 'finished' compost, garden soil or a compost starter (available at most garden centres) to the pile. This helps speed up the start of the composting process.
Clues on Composting

The composting process works best when the organic pieces are small. Weeds and trimmings should be shredded.

Don't add thick layers of any one kind of waste. Grass should not be more than 6 cm deep, leaves up to 15 cm deep (cut or chop or dry and crumble them). If you can, let grass dry first or mix it with dry, coarse material such as leaves to prevent compacting.

The composter contents should be moist like a wrung-out sponge. If the contents are too dry, it will take overly long to compost; and if too wet, the contents may begin to smell.

Turn or mix the compost every couple of weeks or each time you add new material. This keeps the compost well aerated.

Composting can be done in the winter. You can add materials to your composter all winter long. The breakdown process slows down or stops when the pile is frozen, but it will start up again in the spring. Thorough turning in the spring will reactivate the pile. Empty the composter in the fall to make plenty of room.