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Home composting: balance dry browns and food scraps

Check local rules and outdoor space first, then balance dry leaves and vegetable scraps while controlling odors and pests.

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For beginners with a suitable yard or permitted shared garden. Prepare a covered bin or compost area, dry 'brown' materials such as leaves, 'green' materials such as fruit and vegetable scraps, water and a turning tool. Reusing materials can reduce costs; bin prices vary. Check your local food-waste rules, building requirements and pest controls before starting. These EPA instructions concern backyard composting and do not override local municipal food-waste collection rules.

Your try-it-at-home checklist

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Check for an approved outdoor area with good drainage. Do not automatically apply this backyard method indoors or on apartment balconies; verify building rules and any suitable specialist method.
Separate fruit and vegetable scraps or coffee grounds as 'greens' and dry leaves, small twigs or shredded plain paper as 'browns.' Exclude plastic, tape and coated paper.
Following EPA's outdoor-compost guidance, aim for about two to three volumes of browns for one volume of greens and start with a coarse dry layer to promote airflow.
Chop bulky pieces and alternate brown and green material. Cover food scraps with dry browns, and add just enough water for a wrung-out-sponge feel.
Do not add meat, fish, bones, dairy, grease, pet waste or diseased plants to a typical backyard pile. If odors develop, add browns and turn the contents for airflow.
Turn occasionally and check moisture, smell and pests. Use compost only once it has matured into a dark, crumbly, earthy-smelling material with little recognizable food.

U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyComposting At Home ↗Official EPA backyard compost guide: about 2-3 parts browns to 1 part greens; airflow, wrung-sponge moisture, cover scraps, avoid meat/dairy/fats/pet waste; suitable area and pest precautions.Wikimedia CommonsFile:Compost Bin (2646188010).jpg ↗File-specific photo shows an outdoor wooden compost bin, attributed to daryl_mitchell and licensed CC BY-SA 2.0; original JPEG displayed and checked without modification.Wikimedia CommonsCommons: Reusing content outside Wikimedia / technical ↗Source explicitly permits hotlinking while requiring per-file license and attribution compliance.U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyEPA 집 퇴비 만들기: 재료·비율·금지 항목 ↗EPA 집 퇴비 만들기: 재료·비율·금지 항목

Your try-it-at-home checklist

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