Easy DIY · Home composting

Start a backyard compost bin with browns and greens

Start a small backyard compost pile with browns, greens, adequate airflow and controlled moisture.

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Home composting depends on space and local rules. US EPA guidance lists brown materials, green materials, moisture and oxygen as key ingredients. Avoid raw meat, dairy and pet waste in ordinary backyard compost.

Your try-it-at-home checklist

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Check municipal or building rules before establishing a backyard compost bin.
Choose an accessible, well-drained location and an appropriate covered bin or pile.
Collect browns such as dry leaves and uncoated shredded paper separately from greens such as fruit and vegetable scraps.
Use roughly two to three volumes of browns per volume of greens, covering food scraps with dry materials.
Keep the pile about as moist as a wrung-out sponge and turn it occasionally; add more browns if it smells unpleasant.
Exclude meat, fish, dairy, oils, pet waste, cat litter and coated packaging. Use only finished, cured compost that resembles dark soil.

Your try-it-at-home checklist

Further reading

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