What is Compost?
Compost is a dark, earthy material, which results from the natural decomposition of organic matter.

 

 

Where do I get a Backyard Composter?
The City of Vaughan sells backyard composters at a reduced rate! There are 3 options to get a composter: 

Tips and Tricks for Backyard Compost

 

 

 

Method of Backyard Composting 
Step 1

Place your container in a level spot on the earth where there is good water drainage and significant sun exposure.

 
Step 2

Line the bottom of the composter with heavy-duty wire (option) and place composter an inch or two into the ground.

Step 3

Add organic materials. Add both nitrogen-rich green materials, and carbon-rich brown materials. For example, when you add kitchen scraps or grass, also add some dry leaves. When you rake your leaves in the fall, save several bags to add gradually to your pile during the rest of the year. Chop or shred materials into small pieces to make the composting process go faster.

Keep the pile moist but not dripping wet. Use a cover to keep the pile from becoming too wet from rainfall. If it gets too dry, water it with a watering can or hose.

Provide air to the pile by turning it with a pitchfork or shovel, by using an aerating tool, or by placing an air stack in the center of the pile. 

 

What Can Be Backyard Composted?
*Acceptable organic materials include:

 

Apples, Artichoke leaves, Asparagus bottoms, Bananas and Peels, Beans, Beet tops, Berries, Blood meal, Bone meal, Bread, Broccoli stalks, Brussel sprouts, Buckwheat hulls, Cabbage stalks and outer leaves, Carrot tops and scrapings, Celery tops, Citrus rinds, Coffee grounds and filters, Corn cobs (preferably chopped), Corn Stalks, Cotton rags, Cucumber, Dryer lint, Eggshells, Feathers, Felt waste, Flowers, Garden wastes, Grapes, Grape plant wastes, Grapefruit, Grass, Hair, Hay, Hops (spent), Leaf mould, Leaves, Lettuce, Lemon, Melon, Onion, Oats, Peanut hulls, Pears, Peat moss, Pineapple, Pine needles, Potato, Pumpkin, Sawdust, Seaweed, Soil, Straw, String, Squash, Tea leaves and bags, Tomato, Vacuum bags, Weeds, Wood ash, Wool rags, Turnip, Zucchini.

 

 

What Shouldn't Be Backyard Composted?
Unacceptable organic materials include:

 

Butter, Bones, Cheese, Fish (& scraps), Lard, Mayonnaise, Meat (& scraps), Milk, Peanut butter, Poultry (& scraps), Salad dressing, Sour cream, Vegetable oil, Yogurt.

 

You are encouraged to leave grass clippings on your lawn to return nutrients to the soil (refer to grasscycling). If you wish to compost grass, do not add too many grass clippings to your compost at one time. They tend to mat and become smelly. If adding to your backyard composter, it is suggested that you: