As of July 1st, 2015, 100,000 tons of organic materials produced within Sonoma County are now being exported to three neighboring counties: Mendocino, Solano, and Marin. They used to be composted in-county by our beloved Sonoma Compost… Learn more and get involved with the Compost Coalition of Sonoma County , which grew out of this crisis.
You can do your part by keeping your organic stream (aka the “greens” – woody debris, kitchen scraps, and weeds) out of the green can!
Here are a variety of options to consider:
- Vermicomposting: Utilize worms for processing kitchen scraps (download pdf). One “daily actor” even created a “Worm Tub” by converting an old bathtub into a worm composter!! You can source your worms from any neighbor, friend, community composter that already has a worm bin.
- Woody Debris Hugulkultur Beds: Check out this amazing ‘Hugulkultur How-To’ from our friends (and 8th and Bee Homestead and Resilience Guild founders), Tiffany and Jaimey and learn how to build your very own water-saving beds for woody material.
- Create habitat: For stumps and logs, why not build or create something beneficial and beautiful with them – check out this great resource on Insect Hotels. While you’re at it, maybe you’ll get inspired to make yourself a fort or a sittin’ stoop out of that woody stuff too.
- Keep the Cardboard: And while we’re on it, keep your cardboard out of the blue bin too. You can build soil by repurposing those cardboard boxes into sheet-mulching materials at home and in your neighborhood. Let’s become cardboard box reclaimers!
FAQ:
Q: What about rodents?
A: Here are some good strategies to try to keep your bins from attracting too many disruptive critters:
- Elevate your bins so there is a gap beneath the bottom of the bin and the ground
- Use rodent traps (no poison of course) and then compost the little critters
- Position your bins in open areas away from sheds and fence-lines, to minimize hiding places
- Use a secure vermicomposting system with a lid to pre-compost kitchen scraps so they don’t become an attractant
- Minimize the inclusion of fats and oils in your compost
- Got other good ideas? Let us know! [email protected]
Q: I’ve got a bad back or I’m just plain too busy – do I need to turn my compost pile?
A: Try a combination of vermicomposting for the kitchen scraps and hugulkultur for the larger woody debris and carbonaceous materials. The worms will do the work of decomposition for you, while the larger pieces will naturally break down over time in your hugulkultur beds, feeding your soil while saving your back!
Got more FAQs? Email us at [email protected]