Composting Questions
Landfill methane is a gas that is produced in a landfill because the things in the landfill undergo anaerobic decomposition. The solid waste that is buried in a landfill does not receive oxygen, and therefore will produce methane.
A compost pile, on the other hand, undergoes aerobic decomposition. Being expose to oxygen, either by turning it or through the use of worms and other living organisms, it produces CO2 (carbon dioxide) instead of methane.
Technically, meats and oils are compostable. However, this attracts many bugs and critters that are home to The Woodlands community. And these heavy oil and fat saturated items take much longer to compost.
There are composting solutions, using a fermenting process called bokashi, but we do not currently compost using this process.
This question is completely dependent on weather conditions, what goes in the pile, and how often the pile receives oxygen. We have had compost piles compost in a few weeks and others take almost two months. Composting is just another natural chemistry experiment!
The nitrogen rich materials are often referred to as "greens" since nitrogen is commonly found in fresh and moist organic matter. The carbon rich materials are often dry, like leaves, and are normally brown in color.
Common browns:
- Fall leaves
- Pine needles
- Twigs, chipped tree branches/bark
- Corn stalks
- Paper (newspaper, writing/printing paper, paper plates and napkins, coffee filters)
- Dryer lint
- Cotton fabric
- Corrugated cardboard (without any waxy/slick paper coatings
Common greens:
- Coffee grounds/tea bags
- Vegetable and fruit scraps
- Trimmings from perennial and annual plants
- Annual weeds