Compost is organic material made from yard trimmings and food residuals that you build in a pile your backyard. To make compost, you’ll need a bin to store your pile (or at least a contained area). You can buy compost bins of all kinds, from the very high end Mantis ComposT-Twin, at a whopping $500, to the very low end types of recycled plastic composters, at about $80 each. You can buy one from the Department of Public Works for the bargain price of $50.  You can contact Eric Burbank at the Department of Public Works, 973-762-1175, to purchase your compost bin.  

Alternatively, you can make an outdoor bin area yourself with some 2x4’s and chicken wire (see how by clicking here). 

Skeptical? Here is some myth-busting about composting:

1. It smells.  False, once the new food scraps are turned under, the pile smells like good clean earth. 
2. It’s hard to make.  False, you can do absolutely nothing with your pile, and it will still turn to compost eventually. 
3. It takes time.  True, it does, but not your time! You can let it sit and stew; it will wait for you.
4. It attracts vermin.  False, unless you already have a large colony of vermin, in which case, it’s better to find out now rather than later.

What to put in? Any food scraps (vegetables, fruits, eggshells, coffee) but no animal fats (meat, fish,  dairy, or pet waste). Any yard trimmings with no diseases, insects, weed seeds, or pesticides. 

One easy guideline is to make layers of “green” and “brown” things to speed up the breakdown process. “Green” things are high in nitrogen (food scraps, grass clippings, plant trimmings); “brown” things are high in carbon (leaves, paper, hay). 

Another guideline is to turn over your pile with a pitchfork (or spin it in a barrel) about once a week so that, again, the pile will break down faster.

Once the compost is “cooked,” it then becomes humus, or new soil. Many gardeners call it “black gold” because it is like heavenly manna for plants. Spread it underneath trees and shrubs in early spring, and sift it onto lawns during your fall seeding. It works wonders! 

You can see from the bin at the side that you can include your shredded paper.  Great for your brown layer!