Why are you paying waste disposal of plant materials?

[Herbmountain]

I noticed that with our new waste management system that they offer a can for green waste. WTF? Are people really paying to have their food waste and clippings to be hauled off?

How many people compost? Many people in our area pay to have their waste removed. Most of the homes in my area have acreage and can dump their waste material in their gardens or make a small compost pile by digging a hole and use this area to dump what?

I started keeping a tab on how much waste material I take out a week to the pile. Every other day I have a gallon of food waste. Here is what I dump.

coffee grounds
vegetable clippings
fruit pieces that have gone bad
pasta
paper towels (used)
newspaper from the birds cage
old parrot hulls and seed
left overs of all kinds, excluding meats
used tissues
every plant clipping from your yard
Dog doo doo

There seems to be no end to the amount of food garbage that can be composted so why are people paying to have this garbage shipped out? Look at it from your advantage. It adds amendments back to your soil. No need for commercial fertilizer for your plants. The endless castings from worms making great soil. This rich soil also attracts good bugs.

My pit is open. It does not stink like some people think. Only the closed systems stink. So let's all think before we pay to have our most prized material carted off to some where else. It is garden gold.

 

[tropicalfish]

I couldn't agree with you more. I think people are getting lazy these days and don't want to take the extra effort. They want every modern convenience available to them so they don't have to lift a finger, and then brag about it.

Family members ask me, "Why would I want to take out my food waste to the compost pile when I could turn on a garbage disposal. Save yourself the walk and the disgrace of something that yucky in your yard."

And there are grass clippings. So many want their well manicured lawns looking so perfect. So they bag all these grass clippings up and pay to have it hauled away. If they are going to sweep it up anyway, then why not put the clippings in the compost pile or in the garden paths.

But, I guess those who do pay to have all of their "waste" hauled off wouldn't take the time and effort to put in a garden in the first place.

My feelings are, the list of organic material that can be used is endless. People should never waste anything that will rot.

 

[pkchicken]

Yes!!!! YeS !!!!

Unbelievable!!!

We live in a rural area and people bag up their leaves!!!! These people live in wooded lots!!! I just don't get it. They have plenty of room for a compost heap or even just a spot for the leaves. I really think they are unaware of the value of composting.

Fine for me, I'll pick up those already bagged up for me leaves whenever I need extra mulch!!

pk

 

[Herbmountain]

I try to recycle all my plant clippings first then dump the rest in the compost pile. Dusty Miller Lavender makes great peat moss. I discovered that it also repels ants that might like the plant Im protecting.

Grass clippings I use like straw. When it dries it keep weeds out. No light = no weeds. This year when the melons come out I have layed a ton of grass clippings for the new melons to rest on so they do not get bruised.

A month ago our waste management system up here started offering new 64 gallon cans. Of course they raise the cost of pick-up. When I read the cost for green waste material I started laughing. So I started this thread.

I really do not think that it is the lazy factor. I think people are not aware that they can do this with their left over foods. There is a company that makes professional 1 gallon compost scrap holders to keep on the sink. They are stainless steel and have a nice lid so your scraps do not stink up the house.

Roses love coffee grounds. The worms love it too. Used coffee grounds are a good source of nitrogen. I use them to rub the dead skin off my face and hands too. The women in Japan do this and it works for me. It leaves you skin real soft and supple. This is thread drift but just saw a new product on TV advertizing that it contains coffee to wake up the face in increase circulation.

I forgot egg shells on my list of compostables (here's another new word for you data junkie ) Made it up my self!

So for those with lawns? You have good compost, you have good worms, you have good lawn. Simple as that.

Please tell me I have changed someones habits with this thread? Just one person?

 

[Beetree]

Composting is so good,

However, if one uses weed kill or pesticides on the lawn, the grass clippings should not be used in the compost should it? Can it harm the veggies? We call our composts gold. It has coffee grounds, etc. and all non meat wastes in it. The lawn clippings are spread as mulch. And some put in the composts.

 

[pkchicken]

Herbie,

I guess you changed my habit somewhat. My berry patch is inundated with weeds so I've been dumping the grass clippings on it instead of putting them in the compost. What a difference!!!

Alot less work pulling the weeds out. Thanks for the tip!

pk

 

[Herbmountain]

A recent discovery about grass clippings. I just planted this years vegetable garden. We had some pretty cold nights with hale so I had to wait a few weeks late to plant.

I have an awful time with snails. Seems I collect and euthanize 40 to 50 a week. I don't mind snails eating the clippings in the compost pile but the new sprouts in the vegetable garden is another thing. I was mowing the lawn and dumped the clippings around the outer edge of the garden and noted that in the past week, no snail has crossed that side of the garden. Next week I will try surrounding the garden with more and see what happens. The snails love the raddish leaves and they are in the vegetable garden. If it is a success I have found a natural snail barrier. As it is, I sprinkle a small amount of bait in the far end of the yard under a bush that birds and dog will not get to. I hate using this bait but the snails are winning the battle.

Grass clippings are a wonderful weed barrier and provide nitrogen to any plant you surround with clippings. I also use other plants for holding moisture. Any fluffy kind will do. Herbs are better. I read some where that stove ash also repels snails. Mine is all used up so I will have to wait till next year to try this one.

As for using pesticides on the lawn? I never use pesticides in the garden period. If you are having problems with pests on your lawn then you are trimming it too short or watering it too heavy. I had problems with white flys every year on my lawn. I fixed that problem by purchasing praying manits. They eat so many pests.

Two weeks ago I purchased a pint of ladybugs. It was a kick letting them free. Every aphid in site is gone. Two days ago Im enjoying sitting on the deck in the sun and witness a small migration from the back yard to the front yard of little sailing red bodies. Im thinking... hey wait! Where are all of you going? I think they ran out of food and were going to some other garden to eat. Dang. I paid six dollars. But they left behind little beetles to continue the cycle. Ladybugs live 2 years then they die. Lord knows how old these little creatures were when I bought them. I love watching them fly. I have 4 bird houses with little chicks begging for food. And mom and dad were real excited to see the migration. The chicks ate good that day.

I'm so glad this thread is getting a little attention.

 

[Deemy]

You aren't suppose to put dog doo-doo in your compost pile. They carry parasites and worms and can enter our food chain. I collect the doo-doo from my dog and either put in in the burn barrel or collect in in used containers and put in garbage can.

 

[Herbmountain]

Please show me documentation of the statement that dog doo doo should not be put in compost piles. My dog is contagious parasite free so no worms either. At least the kind that are a health hazard. Dog poo degrades just like anything else. Heck most of the commercial composting materials contain some form of animal doo doo. For that matter nitrohumus is human waste material composted and makes some of the finest admendments around.

The last round of dirt I purchased has turkey doo in it. Been doing this for 10 years and never a problem. My dog gets plenty of veggies and never table scraps.