Instead of disposing of yard trimmings and kitchen scraps, you can compost them in your own backyard. Composting is an easy and natural way to recycle. Compost can be made from most organic materials such as leaves, kitchen scraps, and yard trimmings, and it can improve the health of your soil and plants.

You can be as involved as you like with your compost pile, You can simply stack things up and wait for nature to take its course. Or, if you want your compost to happen faster then you need to turn, water, and monitor the pile to speed up the process.

When mixed with soil, compost increases the organic matter content, improves the physical properties of the soil, and supplies essential nutrients, enhancing the soil’s ability to support plant growth. Compost can also be applied to the soil surface to conserve moisture, control weeds, reduce erosion, improve appearance, and keep the soil from gaining or losing heat too rapidly. This publication explains how to build and maintain a compost pile and use the compost in your yard and garden.

If you want to learn more, check out the NC State Extension publication on COMPOSTING