There are many benefits to composting your household wastes like kitchen scraps, leaves, grass clippings and so on. One of the main benefits is that you can use the compost that you’ve created on your own garden or perhaps your lawn if you don’t have a garden.
Our plants and trees can gain much needed nutrients when we amend the soil around them with compost.
Here in Toronto we have what is called “Green Garbage”. Those who don’t compost can add their kitchen scraps and a few other materials to their green bins for collection each week. The city then combines this green waste with shredded, and I presume composted yard waste (leaves and plant trimmings and such), and gives it back to the residents of Toronto each Spring on certain days. Residents can pick up compost for their garden at special depots set up in various communities on specific days.
We usually try to pick up a large garbage can worth of the cities compost each spring, but we don’t rely on it as we have our own composter in our backyard.
If you’d like to learn how to set up your own composter why don’t you have a look at these videos.
Backyard Composting
Learn the basics of garden composting. Create some great nutrient rich compost for your garden from scraps and yard waste. Improve your soil the organic way.
Garden Girl TV: Simple Easy Compost Bin
Patti, the Garden Girl, shows you a simple and easy way to make a compost bin for your organic lawn or garden.
So if you haven’t already done so, go ahead and start your own backyard compost bin. Your plants will show you how much they enjoy having their soil amended with compost and your kitchen garbage won’t be as smelly!
That ‘Green Garbage’ program sounds like a really good one.
I should really start backyard composting. It really makes sense to do so since it would remind me to recycle.
I’ve heard about the “Green Garbage” program from people who also live in smaller cities around Toronto. It sounds like a really great program, and it’s good to see these cities taking these steps to reduce garbage.
Sounds like a great thing to do – if you have a garden 😉
Tricia, I hope you have patience with me for not having participated in GTS for a while. You know I’ve been away on a loooong vacation and after that I’ve been sick.
I’m trying to shape up. I dunno if I can manage to get something out on this upcoming Sunday, because we’re going away on Monday again! This time only for 6 days, first to Bratislava and further on the Danube river to Vienna – going to see the gala performance of the Spanish riding school finally!
This fall I’m not going to bag my leaves and leave them at the curb.
Rather, I’m raking them off the lawn and onto the flowerbeds. Let
the worms do the rest. Provides a great mulch.
Thanks for posting, great information. I have also read that, if you are unable to compost, throwing food away in the trash is better than down the garbage disposal as it helps the trash to biodegrade.
We have a composter, it was here when we bought the property but we found ourselves so busy this year we pretty much forgot about composting.
Perhaps putting it behind the garage wasn’t the best place, out of sight out of mind as they say.
I will try to do better next year.
Thanks for the videos they were really worth watching, especially the first video.
Very cool program. I wish they offered something like that where I live. I too have my own compost pile or vermicompost rather. I believe that vermicomposting is even better. This allows you to get the most from your garden!
That Green Garbage program sounds fantastic. I wish they had it in my town. But really I wish more people were composting and using it on their lawns instead of nasty chemicals.
Great post. Composting is one of the easiest things you can do to help your garden, and the environment.
I would like some more info on the Green Garbage program.
Where can I find some more resources?
Compost is so easy, everyone should be doing it to add their bit to helping maintain the environment more effectively.
Interesting post and videos. I myself use the Bokashi bin for my composting. It’s very easy and so little effort to prevent the landfill from being filled with material that can be used again in the garden.
I’m not sure if I’d trust compost from the Toronto City green bin program. As far as I can tell you can put just about anything in those bins – bones, plastic bags, bleached tissue paper – even kitty litter! Who knows what else people put in those things. They’re clueless even with recycling! I’d much rather have compost I made myself. Then I know what it’s made out of.
Cool program but I agree with Kitchen Composters, I’d rather make my own compost too so that I can be sure of what it’s made of.
Cecile
I have to say they are the best idea.. having an indoor compost system. Right now is raining so hard and my compost is in the garden. It is so much more convenient to have an indoor compost bin.
I have been composting for 2 years now and it has made such a difference to my life. I am wasting less and now my garden looks better with all the amazing fertiliser I get from it.