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COMPOSTABLE
WASTE
- Waste material
can be either yard waste and/or certain household waste.
- An ideal
size for the pile is 3' x 3' x 3'.
- Large pieces
of waste material should be broken up by hand or shredded.
- Check COMPOST
INGREDIENTS list before adding waste materials.
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OXYGEN
- Turning the
pile (moving the materials from the sides into the middle and
from the bottom to the top) will allow oxygen to reach the organisms
which break down the material.
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MOISTURE
- The pile
should be moist, like a wrung-out sponge. Dry or wet piles will
slow down the decomposition process.
- Check compost
moisture by squeezing a handful. A few drops should come out.
- Adjust moisture
by adding water to a dry pile or adding dry material to a wet
pile.
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TEMPERATURE
- For optimum
composting, the compost temperature should be 90° to 140°.
- Consider
checking the center of the pile periodically using a thermometer
with a probe.
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C:N RATIO
- The pile
needs a good balance of carbon and nitrogen materials to decompose
properly.
- The ideal
C:N (carbon to nitrogen) ratio is 30:1 (30 parts carbon to 1 part
nitrogen) or 30 parts leaves to 1 part grass clippings.
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