One Man's Trash Is Another Man's Compost

After you finish eating breakfast, don’t throw those banana peels and coffee grinds into the trash. How about composting your leftovers? Composting has many health benefits for you and the environment.

Composting provides nutrients for the soil and offers a natural pest control. Therefore, you can grow your own vegetables in a healthy garden without having to use harmful pesticides and fertilizers.

Composting can regenerate poor quality soil and it can replenish organic substances to the soil. This makes the soil better at holding water and reduces polluted storm water run-off. The reduction of run-off also helps prevent soil erosion. Composted soil will grow healthier plants. Healthier plants will make the air healthier, cleaner and preserve soil. Composting also helps clean up already contaminated soils by breaking down toxic materials.

When you compost, you will be doing your part to help reduce landfill waste. Also, your yard and garden will need less fertilizer and water. Therefore, you will save time, money and energy.

If you are already composting or want to use compost in your garden, but you can’t seem to generate enough, don’t worry. Decatur residents can pick up compost and mulch for free from the DeKalb County transfer station at Northern Avenue and Memorial Drive, next to the Tax Commissioner’s Office. You can pick up compost on weekdays from 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. When you get there make sure to let the scale attendant know you are a DeKalb County resident there to pick up compost. You are responsible for putting the compost into your containers and vehicles.

has a public compost site at their recycling center.

You can also get help and tips on composting from the Oakhurst Community Garden. The Oakhurst Community Garden offers courses for composting, in addition to other healthy gardening classes. For more information go to: http://oakhurstgarden.org.

Also, the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences has seven Master Gardener Compost Demonstration locations in DeKalb County, including one at the Decatur Recreation Center Scott Garden at 231 Sycamore St. The compost demonstration is in the community garden in the back. The garden and demonstration are always open to the public. For more information call 404-298-4080.

For more information on picking up free compost or mulch from a DeKalb County transfer station, go to:

http://www.co.dekalb.ga.us/publicwrks/sanitation/san_ProcessingTransferStations.html