Thunder Bay's EcoSuperior offers 4 tips for compost success

EcoSuperior is encouragingmore people in Thunder Bay to take up backyard composting as a way to cut down on the amount of organic waste going to the landfill.

The local environmental organization wants tohelp composting beginnersthrough some common problems.

"People call our office with a lot of questions," said Aynsley Klassen a program coordinator at EcoSuperior. The most common complaint is that the compost simply isn't breaking down, she said. Luckily identifying the problem is usually pretty simple.

Composting success depends on four key factors, said Klassen: air, water, heat and time. Here are some tips for optimal results.

• Mix it up

Turningor stirring thecompost will help with aeration, and speed the breakdown of the compost. But you don't want to do it too often, said Klassen, because you also want to allow heat to build up at the centre of the compost. Giving the compost a good stir every month or so should do the trick.

• Just add water

A lot of compost problems can be traced back to moisture content, said Klassen. If you're not sure whether your compost is soggy enough, a touch test may be in order. "Give it a squeeze. If it's really wet and you're getting lots of water out of it then it's too wet. But if it's not holding its form like a wet sponge, then you need to add some water to it." Most people will probably prefer to do the squeeze test with the more soil-like compost near the bottom, she added,rather than the rotten lettuce leaves at the top. But it's up to you.

• Soak up some sun

Try to place your composter in a bright location, where it will get at least a few hours of sun per day. "The more sun it can get, the faster it's going to break down," said Klassen.

• Layer 'greens'and 'browns'

Healthy compost will have a good mixture of "greens," (kitchen scraps such asfruit and vegetable peels, egg shells, and coffee grounds)and "browns," (yard waste such as dried leaves), said Klassen. The greens are nitrogen sources, and the browns provide carbon.

For more information about getting started with backyard composting, and composting dos and don'ts, visit the EcoSuperior website.