Backyard Composting
Natural recycling – right in your backyard.
In nature, nothing is wasted or thrown away – insects, worms, and microorganisms help decompose organic material, returning valuable nutrients back to the earth. Backyard composting lets us recycle just like nature does, allowing new plants to grow.
How to Start Backyard Composting
Choose your bin
The first step to backyard composting is choosing a bin.
There are many types and sizes of compost bins, each made for different needs. How much organic waste do you have? How much effort you are willing to put into maintaining the bin? How quickly do you want a finished product?
- Build your own bin – See our Compost Bin Plans.
- Buy a bin – Visit your local hardware or gardening store.
- Check if your municipality offers bins through MMSB’s Compost Bin Distribution Program.
Watch our video to walk you through the basics of the two common types of composting bins to help you decide which is best for you.
Choose Your Location
Indoors
You can store kitchen waste under the sink or on the counter in a small, covered container. Purchase a compost container at your local hardware store, or reuse an empty salt beef or ice cream bucket.
- How quickly you fill your container determines how often it needs to be emptied. Usually, just once or twice a week.
- Adding the proper materials and emptying your indoor container regularly will eliminate odours.
- Rinse your indoor container each time it’s emptied.
Outdoors
Place your bin in a sunny area where it can absorb and retain as much heat as possible. Choose a location that is convenient and accessible year round with good drainage. This is especially important in the spring when your compost pile produces excess moisture.
What Goes In
When adding organic waste, it is important to maintain a proper nitrogen-to-carbon (or green-to-brown) ratio. A good mixture of material consists of 50% brown and 50% green material (by weight). Add organic waste by alternating layers of browns and greens – always finishing with a layer of browns.
- Fruit & vegetable peels & scraps
- Coffee grounds & filters
- Tea bags & tea leaves
- Fresh grass clippings
- Crushed eggshells
- Dried leaves, twigs, & small branches
- Dried & untreated grass clippings
- Non-diseased plants
- Wood chips & sawdust (untreated wood)
- Paper (newspaper, paper towels, toilet paper rolls, & cereal boxes)
- Rice, oats, & other grains
- Dried corn stalks
- Pasta (no sauces or oils)
- Peanut shells
- Bread & other baked goods
- Meats, fish, & shellfish (including bones)
- Fat, grease, oils, & sauces
- Dairy products
- Weeds (that have gone to seed)
- Diseased plants
- Plants treated with pesticides
- Dog & cat waste
- Toxic chemicals (pesticides, etc.)
- Charcoal & treated fire logs
TIP: Cutting up materials into smaller pieces before adding them to your bin increases the surface area and allows for faster decomposition.
Watch the video for a full overview of what goes into your compost bin from browns to greens.
Maintaining Your Compost Bin
Your compost bin houses a living ecosystem with organic material and decomposer organisms. When you add organic waste to your compost bin, you are feeding these organisms, which require food, water, oxygen, and space to survive.
The recipe for successful compost is:
Organic Waste + Water + Oxygen + Volume
Your compost pile should be moist. When you touch the pile, it should feel damp, but no liquid should run out when squeezed. Your compost pile gets moisture from its green material.
If the pile is too dry, add more green material or sprinkle with water. If the pile gets too wet, add more brown material.
For composting to take place, oxygen must be present throughout the pile. Turn your compost regularly to increase the circulation of oxygen. Keep a shovel or pitchfork next to your bin to turn the pile each time you add organic waste.
Your pile should be large enough to hold the heat generated through the composting process but small enough to let air into the center. For home composting, your pile or bin should be no smaller than 3′ x 3′ x 3′ and no larger than 5′ x 5′ x 5′.
Watch the video for an overview of how to properly maintain your compost bin.
Using Your Finished Compost
Finished compost, or “humus,” is dark and crumbly with an earthy smell and does not contains any visible food scraps. A simple way to test if your compost is finished is the squeeze test.
Using compost in the garden enriches the soil with organic matter – improving heat and moisture retention. Plus, it promotes the growth of healthy, pest-resistant plants, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and watering.
Finished compost has many uses:
- Use as mulch around trees, shrubs, and plants.
- Mix with potting soils for use in houseplants.
- Dig compost into your garden soil before you plant.
- Use as top dressing in flower beds and gardens.
- Use as soil conditioner – compost helps aerate clay soils.
- Share with friends, family, or the neighbourhood gardener!