Detroit Area Lawn Care Guide

In order to ease the problems of overflowing landfills, more and more cities and towns around the country are opening up recycling centers which allows people to drop off their yard waste. This waste is then used for large-scale composting projects.

In some municipalities, people can “trade in” their yard debris for compost that they can use on their own property.

yard waste
This use of yard waste on a municipal level has helped to reduce the burden on the landfills, while making people more aware of the importance of organic waste recycling and of the benefits of compost bins .

At the same time, the parks and recreational departments are able to cut their budgets for fertilizer and soil treatments by utilizing the compost to treat and improve the soil in the parks. Some cities also use the compost to support the community vegetable garden projects as well.

The most commonly used raw materials that are used for these composting projects are the abundant yard waste materials such as fallen leaves, grass clippings, hedge and shrub trimmings, and small-size, pruned tree branches. There is also a good amount of mulch that comes from Christmas trees and other small trees and branches that go through the chipper.

Of course, individual households can easily compost their yard debris as well, without needing to either wait for the pick-up schedule or for their municipality to institute such a program.

compost bins
Backyard composting is quite simple to start and there are compost bins available on the market for those with small or large backyards. Even those who live in apartments can enjoy the benefits of recycling their organic kitchen waste.

In fact, home composting can be a better solution. This is because most municipalities exclude certain organic waste products from the public composting piles that can readily be added to your composting project.

For instance, at home you can include newspaper, coffee grounds, crushed eggshells, fruit rinds and vegetable peels. Most of the time you cannot include any of these items with your yard waste for curbside pickup.

With backyard composting, you can include all of these items right alongside of your yard waste and debris and throw it all right on your composts. However, you should never include animal meat, bones, pet feces, or any dairy products. These waste items will simply attract vermin and pests to your backyard and interfere with the decomposition process.

compost pile
Some municipalities have enjoyed a 20% decrease in the volume of material going into their landfills by recycling yard waste. This can help to make a significant difference for the future and at the very least buy some time while the decision makers figure out how to deal with the landfill issues.

Homeowners can do their part in helping by either separating their green waste for pickup or by starting their own compost heap.