Many home gardeners have created compost piles in their backyards. Towns and cities have set up community-wide composting facilities that furnish the finished compost to a variety of users. Compost can be used for a variety of gardening projects. It can enrich gardens, improve the soil around trees and shrubs, and be used as a soil additive for house-plants and planter boxes. Compost can enhance soil texture, increase the ability of the soil to absorb air and water, suppress weed growth, decrease erosion, and reduce the need to apply chemical fertilizers and peat moss.
Landscapers also use compost to cover landfills and carry out reclamation projects.
Yard wastes such as leaves, grass, prunings, weeds, and remains of garden plants all make excellent compost. To speed the composting process, woody yard wastes should be clipped and sawed down, or run through a shredder. Vacuum cleaner lint, wool and cotton rags, sawdust, shredded newspaper, and fireplace ashes also can be composted. Although many foods can be composted, you should check with your local Board of Health to see if any sanitary code restrictions apply to food composting in your area. Do not compost meats dairy foods, fats, oil, or grease.