Four Key Ingredients for Composting by MCR Mildred T.

Greens

These materials are moist, have lots of nitrogen, and less carbon.

• kitchen scraps
• fresh plant material
• peelings
• anything fresh from a plant

Browns
These materials are dry and rich in carbon.

• fall leaves
• dried grass
• saw dust
• straw
• shredded paper

Water

Some water is required for food to break down.

• Sometimes I take the lid off my compost bin before it rains.
• I add any unused water, when I change my pet's water dish.
• Whenever I cook pasta, rinse rice or beans, or wash vegetables, I save that water and add it to my compost.
  (Note: I stopped adding salt to my pasta water, to keep it out of my compost.)

Air

Without oxygen, compost breaks down anaerobically. It smells bad and composts slowly. So mix your greens and browns, add water, and then poke some holes in the compost pile. Use something like a long handled weeder or an old broom handle.

This brings air and oxygen into the pile and helps it break down to become a soil amendment.

• Fluff once a week, from spring to fall.

For More Info & Help
Visit edmonton.ca/compost
Call 780-495-5526
Email compost@edmonton.ca
Go to Compost 'S cool

MCR Mildred T.
Mildred T. became a Master Composter Recycler in 1991. She was part of the first training group of the MCR Program. She was advocate for waste reduction before and ever since. Her motto has been "think globally, act locally."