I'm not talking about collecting aluminum cans or bundling newspapers by the truckload. Composting is nature's way of recycling dead plant and animal materials back into the soil through decomposition. This process removes waste materials from the environment and returns nutrients to the soil. As the world population grows and concentrates around urban centers, the need to do our part to imitate these natural processes is increasingly critical. Composting at both the municipal and home levels helps reduce materials added to our landfills by providing an alternative disposal site for grass clippings and kitchen scraps.
Many homeowners think that compost is messy and smelly.
If it is properly managed, nothing could be further from the truth. Finished compost is soft, pliable and smells like freshly plowed soil. If your compost pile has strong odors, then there is a problem in the decomposition process. Organic matter for home compost bins comes from kitchen and yard trash. The microorganisms are bacteria and small plant life that live in soil and manure that naturally break down organic material.