COMPOSTING
Composting can be done at school and at home to help reduce the 10,000-12,000 tons per day of green waste (leaves, cut grass, branches and weeds) that is trucked to landfills in Los Angeles County. Composting is a way to recycle yard trimmings back into a beneficial soil amendment and return valuable nutrients to the soil. Since 30%- 35% of Los Angeles' residential waste stream is green waste, composting can also drastically reduce the amount of material that goes into the landfills.
Los Angeles composts green waste and sewage sludge to create a soil amendment product. This green waste is collected in the green, 60 gal. bins which have been distributed to 700,000 households. Once composted, the product is marketed by Organix in Kern County and sold as TOPGRO, "L.A.'s Own Compost", at all FEDCO stores and other home and garden retailers.
More cities are investigating large-scale municipal composting as a way of saving millions of dollars. Besides reducing landfill costs, money can be save by reducing water, fertilizer, and pesticide usage.
How to Compost Your Own Green Waste
Home gardeners need plenty of compost to help restore valuable nutrients and amend the soil, and help retain water. Why not make your own? If done correctly, composting does not smell badly or attract pests.
Household compostingis easy to do if you have a corner of the yard to place a bin or composting pile. The L.A. Resource Program conducts free classes and offers plastic bins at reduced prices. Call (800) 773-CITY for information. You can also make your own bin.
Worm composting is becoming more popular and involves raising red wiggler earth worms in a box and feeding them food scraps. You can raise worms in a box in your classroom or home.
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