Home Composting Information

Composting is a means of breaking down some of your kitchen waste to be reused as nutrients for your yard or garden. Basically raw fruits and vegetables, coffee grounds, egg shells, grass clippings, and fall leaves may be removed from your household trash and composted. Be careful not to add any animal products or cooked foods as these are not acceptable items for a compost.

Compost is created by mixing organic matter together with a starter such as old compost, rich loam, or commercial compost starter, add a little water and mix thoroughly. Materials are added alternately layering wet and dry components. Examples of wet components are: kitchen waste and garden trimmings. Examples of dry components are dried fall leaves (these should be shredded with your lawnmower for best results and layers should not exceed 6"), dried grass clippings (these layers should not be more than 2 1/2" deep), straw, etc. The smaller the components, the faster the decomposition, thus shredding large materials will speed the process. The compost should be kept moist by adding water until the mixture's moisture content resembles a wrung out sponge. Mix the compost every other week to add oxygen and redistribute its contents.

Finished results may be ready anywhere from 2 months to 2 years depending on the effort expended. Compost is ready when it has a dark color, is crumbly, and most material is unidentifiable. Sifting may be needed to sort out larger objects which may need to be returned to the compost. Compost may be used by: addition to the top 2-4" of soil for bedding plants and vegetable gardens, in a wide ring directly below the drip line of a tree to feed the root system, or it may be sprinkled into the lawn.

Although the compost is dormant during the winter months you may still add kitchen waste alternately layering with dry materials such as straw, stored fall leaves, or shredded newspapers. A thorough turning in the spring will reactivate the pile.

For additional information, click here to print or view the NH Department of Environmental Services Compost Brochure.