Backyard composting is an easy way to start making a difference this Earth Month. Composting at home can help reduce household trash and make positive impacts on the environment. By spending as little as 10 minutes per week on a compost pile, people can turn kitchen and yard scraps into a useful soil amendment for their garden and reduce the need for fertilizers. Throwing away less food also creates lighter loads for garbage collection, less energy needed for incineration, and fewer greenhouse gases from food waste in landfills.

Composting at home does not have to be complicated, especially if you break it down to the four basic “ingredients”: greens, browns, water and air.

• Greens are nitrogen rich items like fruit and vegetable scraps, grains, coffee grounds, and most green yard waste. Fruits and vegetables should have their produce stickers removed before composting. 
• Browns are sources of carbon for the pile, and include leaves, twigs, wood chips, straw, and dried out yard waste.
• A compost pile should have the moisture level of a wrung-out sponge. If it is too dry, add a little water or leave the cover off the next time it rains. If it’s too wet, add more browns.
• Air flow is important to make sure there is enough oxygen for microorganisms and bugs breaking down the material. Adding enough browns and having enough vents on the side of the bin will ensure enough air flow.

There are a few items to avoid putting in a compost bin: meat, bones, dairy, fatty foods and sweets. Backyard compost piles do not get hot enough to break these materials down, and they can attract pests. Other items to avoid adding to the pile are weeds or flowers that have gone to seed, and invasive plants.

One low-effort way to compost is called lasagna composting. Like it sounds, it involves creating layers of browns and greens, while keeping air flow and moisture at the right levels. Home composting is generally done in either stationary bin or a tumbler, and lasagna composting can be done in a stationary that is at least three feet wide, three feet deep and three feet tall.

• When a stationary bin is set up, it should be directly on the dirt, with about seven to eight inches of twigs and small branches as a base. This allows organisms to enter the pile from the dirt but also provides enough aeration. 
• Then, residents can start their green and brown layering. Every time greens are added to the pile, cover it with about three times the volume of browns. Leaving browns on top helps keep wildlife from bothering the pile. 
• As layers are added on top, the bottom layers start to break down. As time passes, continue to add new layers. After several months, there will be finished compost at the bottom. 
• Finished compost can be used in garden beds as a soil amendment or as a top dressing.

For those who have never tried backyard composting, the solid waste and recycling program at the Putnam County Department of Health is here to help. To make backyard composting more affordable, the health department offers the Earth Machine stationary compost bin for a wholesale cost of $70. Bins can be ordered on the County’s Recycling website at http://www.putnamcountyny.com/recycling. Health department staff are available to answer questions and troubleshoot compost pile troubles through email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The following are additional resources for residents looking to compost:

• Cornell Cooperative Extension of Putnam County Composting: https://cceputnamcounty.org/gardening/compost-resources
• Lasagna Layering: https://ccetompkins.org/resources/compost-lasagna-layering-for-easy-compost
• NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Reducing Food Waste: https://dec.ny.gov/environmental-protection/recycling-composting/organic-materials-management/home-composting
• Environmental Protection Agency Composting: https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home