{"id":140,"date":"2019-07-27T15:23:08","date_gmt":"2019-07-27T15:23:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/federalkansas.com\/?p=140"},"modified":"2022-06-24T18:17:20","modified_gmt":"2022-06-24T18:17:20","slug":"mortgage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/federalkansas.com\/mortgage\/","title":{"rendered":"Mortgage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How homeowners can help save the earth by saving trash<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe your neighbor does it. Perhaps you\u2019ve watched a demonstration at a local Earth Day event. Or possibly your child came home from school one day and said, \u201cMom, Dad, give me all of our garbage, I\u2019m making a compost pile in the backyard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those words: compost, pile. They don\u2019t sit well with a lot of people. That\u2019s because the word \u201ccompost\u201d conjures up visions of steaming rotten garbage and \u2026 other stuff \u2026 in a pile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it\u2019s really an unfair stigma to place on compost. Especially as the perception of compost is being reshaped. Using it for our own backyards is now a very positive thing to consider for homeowners. In other words, compost is cool now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compost energizes your yard\u2019s soil and can help garden vegetables fight diseases and may improve their flavor and nutrition. Compost also helps the soil retain moisture. Through composting, you enhance your garden\u2019s ability to grow healthy plants. There\u2019s a reason compost is called gardener\u2019s black gold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we celebrate Earth Day and the arrival of spring, it\u2019s a perfect time for compost to be celebrated, lifted up and embraced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ok, so what exactly is compost?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Essentially, compost is decomposed organic material that is produced when bacteria in soil breaks down garbage and biodegradable trash, which results in a material that looks like dark, moist dirt and is rich in minerals, making it ideal for gardening, landscaping and potting plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That means save those egg shells, cucumber ends, potato and carrot peelings, avocado pits \u2013 any vegetable or fruit scrap. And hang onto those coffee grounds (and filters), tea leaves, nut shells, stale bread, leftover cereal (and their cardboard boxes), uneaten pasta, pizza crusts, cardboard egg cartons (cut them up first), old jelly, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the non-food category, you can compost hair from your hair brush, plant trimmings, old toothpicks and bamboo skewers, toilet paper rolls, cotton balls, dryer lint, old cotton clothing (cut into small pieces), shredded paper, pencil shavings, sticky notes, junk mail (how fun!), leaves, newspaper, grass clippings and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there are some things you don\u2019t want to compost, mostly animal products like meat, fish, butter, yogurt, milk, cheese, animal fat, etc. Meat and fish \u2013 and their smells \u2013 attract pests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, it\u2019s best not to put dog or cat waste in your compost. Their waste can contain microorganisms and parasites that you don\u2019t want to introduce to the crops you will be eating if you\u2019ll be using your compost for a garden. But you can use their fur from brushes and their old dry food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bottom line is that in addition to compost\u2019s benefit to your home\u2019s soil, by collecting materials for compost you are potentially removing up to 50 percent of your home\u2019s waste. That\u2019s 50 percent less garbage that you\u2019ll be sending to the local landfill, whose decomposing waste produces methane, a greenhouse gas that traps about 28 times more heat than carbon dioxide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compost is sounding better and better, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to start composting<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get yourself a nifty compost bin. You can make a square one out of old wooden pallets. Or buy a compost tumbler or a worm compost bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start adding all those ingredients (that would otherwise be trash) you collected from your home. Composting experts say a nice mix of all those types of things listed above \u2013 food scraps with non-food items \u2013 makes for an ideal compost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turn and mix your compost weekly to aerate it, which will in turn help all your ingredients decompose faster. (Here\u2019s your chance to use that pitchfork you bought as a Halloween prop years ago.) If it gets too dry, hose it down. If it gets too wet, mix it more often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to use your compost<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be patient. It takes on average about three months (sunshine helps) for the compost to become a rich, dark color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you get a nice pile ready, you can:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n