| Compost your yard waste this fall |
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Posted: Friday, October 16, 2009 2:21 pm
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OWATONNA — Days are becoming shorter, leaves have started turning colors and dropping to the ground and gardens have pretty much ended their growing cycle for 2009. Homeowners are now faced with the annual task of removing leaves and garden waste from yards in preparation for our long Minnesota winters.
The Minnesota Legislature banned leaves and yard waste from being buried in landfills over 15 years ago, so property owners must find alternatives to bagging and setting the filled bags of yard waste out for the trash hauler. Composting is nature’s way of recycling plant waste to feed flowers, vegetables, trees, bushes and grass, and this is the preferred method for managing yard waste.
Many people choose to bring their yard waste to a community compost site operated directly by cities or indirectly through a contract with a private firm. All four cities in Steele County provide community compost sites for their residents. If you live in Blooming Prairie, Ellendale or Medford, call your city office for details on location, hours and what is accepted at their compost sites.
The City of Owatonna contracts with a private firm, SMC, to operate their community compost site. Funds needed to operate the Owatonna Compost Site do not come from property tax dollars but rather are financed through user fees. Since they charge a small fee for bringing out yard waste or brush and taking home finished compost, mulch or black dirt, any person or business is eligible to use this site no matter where they live.
Owatonna’s Compost Site is located on West 32nd Ave. It can be reached by driving west on either Bridge Street or Hwy. 14. The turns onto 32nd Ave. are marked with a compost site sign, although it can be easy to miss if traveling the speed limit on Hwy. 14. Once on 32nd Avenue, look for the gravel road and compost site sign on the west side of the street just south of the railroad tracks.
October hours at the Owatonna Compost Site are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Starting in November, the site will close every weekday at 5 p.m. due to shorter daylight hours, and it closes for the fall season the day prior to Thanksgiving.
Bagging up or filling a truck bed or trailer with yard waste and hauling it to a compost site is not the only way to get rid of yard waste. Small amounts of leaves can be simply mowed and left to decompose on the lawn. This provides grass with nutrients to enhance growth.
A home compost pile can be easily constructed. Find a spot that is sheltered from the wind in partial shade. Besides air and time, four ingredients are needed for an effective compost pile. Organic materials, such as fruit and vegetable scraps, leaves, sawdust, egg shells and coffee grounds are often called the “browns” of a compost pile. The second ingredient is the “greens,” such as grass trimmings or fresh plant clippings, or a cup of high nitrogen plant fertilizer. If fertilizer is used, make certain it does not contain weed or insect killers.
Soil provides the natural microscopic organisms that decompose the materials. Finally, water is necessary to help decay the materials. Layer these materials in a pile, then turn it occasionally. Consistency of a good home compost pile should be that of a wrung out sponge, so make certain it receives adequate moisture from rain or a hose or watering can. Depending on the temperature and how often the pile is turned, finished compost may be ready in a few months or as much as a year. Building a compost pile in a structure of wood, fencing, brick or other materials helps contain the pile.
Over time, biological wastes decompose into something that looks like black dirt but is actually a natural fertilizer for plants. Compost improves drainage and soil texture in clay soils, improves moisture holding capacity and soil texture in sandy soils and increases nutrients in soil with poor organic content.
For more instructions on how to build a compost structure and what to put in or avoid putting in a home compost pile, call the Steele County Recycling Hotline at 451-5443.
Mary Overlee Olson is Recycling Coordinator for Steele County Environmental Services, administration center, 630 Florence Ave. She can be reached by calling Steele County Environmental Services office at 444-7475.
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