Compost is organic material that can be added to soil that will help plants grow. Food scraps and yard clippings make up to 30% of what we throw away, yet could be composted instead. Having a composting system keeps these materials out of the landfills.

All composting requires three basic ingredients:

• Browns – Materials such as dead leaves, branches, and twigs
• Greens – Grass clippings, vegetable waste, fruit scraps, and coffee grounds
• Water – Having the right amount of water is important for compost development

To compost, you should have an equal amount of browns to greens, alternate layers of organic materials. The brown materials provide carbon for your compost, the green materials provide nitrogen, and the water provides moisture to help break down the organic matter.