Recycle Yard Waste

1. Why Recycle? Yard Waste Define Uses Recycled Mulch Recycled Grass Composting at Home Assembling Pile Materials to Use/Avoid Maintaining Pile Harvesting Pile Earthworm Farming Recycle Yard Waste Author: Rebecca McNair Edited by: Allison Steele

2. Why Recycle? • Retains the nutrients in your landscape • Saves money on fertilizer, mulch and waste disposal • Florida law prohibits disposal of yard waste in lined landfills

3. The Legal Definition • Yard trash is defined by the 1988 Florida Solid Waste Management Act as “vegetative matter resulting from landscape maintenance and land clearing operations.” It includes… • Tree and shrub trimmings • Leaves and palm fronds • Grass • Stumps

4. Florida’s Municipal Waste Stream in 1998 (FDEP Solid Waste Report, 2000) Combusted 16% Landfilled 56% Recycled 28% In 1998, yard waste made up 12% of the municipal waste stream, or 3.5 million tons.

5. Recycling Solutions Overview: • Mulching • “Grasscycling” • Composting • Earthworm farming

6. Recycled Mulch • Choose by-product alternatives such as Melaleuca mulch: • Harvested from invasive plant stands • Reduces destruction of natural wetland areas in Florida • Slow decomposition • Suppresses weeds • Not eaten by termites

7. Yard Waste = Mulch= $ • Leaves and pine needles can remain under trees for a “self mulching” area • Cost of one bag Pine Nuggets = $3.00 • Reducing garbage, Priceless!

8. Utility Mulch • Many municipalities offer free utility mulch • A by-product of pruning trees near power lines • Be aware of variable quality and consistency • You may need to partially compost to kill any weeds, seeds, or insect pests

9. Grasscycling • Grass clippings can be left on the lawn • Saves money- This is equivalent to about one fertilizer application per year! • Saves time • Remove only 1/3 of the grass blade Grasscycling does not result in thatch build-up. Thatch is stem and root overgrowth caused by over-fertilization and over-watering.

10. Composting • Disposes of food and yard wastes through natural processes • Enhances the soil on your property • Releases essential elements to plants

11. What is Compost? Rich, black, sweet-smelling, crumbly, soil-like substance comprised of decomposed organic matter

12. Composting at Home Overview: • Selecting a Location • Choosing a Container • Assembling the Pile • Maintaining the Pile • Harvesting Finished Compost

13. Selecting A Location • Level ground • Well-drained surface • Near a source of water • At least 2 feet from any structure • Close to source of materials

14. Choosing A Container • Pile method • Bin

15. Pile Method • No container is used; organic materials are simply mounded in a pile A layer of soil, leaves, or finished compost on top of fresh kitchen wastes will help deter pests.

16. Compost Bins Purchase a compost bin or build your own. Consider: • Appearance • Size- at least 1 cubic yard • Accessibility- to add materials and remove finished compost • Ability to mix materials inside • Creature access

17. A bin is not necessary, but useful for deterring pests and keeping the pile neat.

18. Compost Happens • Microorganisms (microbes) initiate decomposition under favorable environmental conditions. They need: • Food • Oxygen • Moisture • Temperature

19. Assembling the Pile • For faster decomposition, follow these steps: • Put twigs or small branches on the bottom of the pile to allow air to circulate • Layer materials, alternating nitrogen and carbon layers • End with a carbon layer • Add water to moisten, not soak

20. “Browns” • Carbon-rich materials • Energy source for microbes • Typically low in moisture • Degrade slowly • Bulky materials help aerate • May cause nitrogen deficiencies in plants • If insufficient nitrogen is present for microbial breakdown

21. “Greens” • Nitrogen-rich materials • Microbes use for protein synthesis and reproduction • High moisture content • Degrade rapidly • Compact easily • Can be a source of foul odors

22. Compostable Materials • Nitrogen-Rich • Grass clippings • Manure • Vegetable food scraps • Coffee grounds • Hair Carbon-Rich • Straw • Shredded branches • Uncolored Paper • Pine needles • Leaves

23. C:N Ratios RAPID • The carbon to nitrogen ratio determines the decomposition rate of organic materials • Grass clippings ~ 20:1 • Fruit waste ~ 35 :1 • Leaves ~ 60 :1 • Straw ~ 100 :1 • Wood ~ 600 :1 • 30:1 is ideal, obtained by adding one part browns to one part greens SLOW

24. Particle Size • Size of particles also affect the rate of decomposition • Break twigs and small branches • Shred newspaper and palm fronds • Grind stumps • Coarsely chop larger pieces of vegetable matter

25. Materials to Avoid • Do NOT add: • Meat or dairy products • Oils or mayonnaise • Plants recently treated with pesticides • Seed-laden weeds • Pressure treated wood Animal products create odor problems and attract pests.

26. Provide Oxygen • Without oxygen (anaerobic conditions), microbes produce foul smelling compounds • Alcohols and organic acids that are detrimental to plants • Referred to as “sour” • Incorporate bulky materials like twigs, pine needles, wood chips and straw to provide air space • Turn pile immediately if odor is detected

27. Provide Moisture • Microbes need moisture for their bodies • Water pile when needed • 45% ~ 65% moisture content • “Squeeze test”-Squeeze compost in your hand: moisture should coat your hand, but not drip • To lower moisture content: • Protect from heavy rains • Add dry material and turn pile

28. Temperature • The metabolic activity of microbes will raise the temperature of the compost • This kills weed seeds and pathogens • A critical mass is needed, ideal pile size is 3 ft. x 3 ft. x 3 ft. • Microbes can survive a range of temperatures, but an optimal temperature for decomposition is about 125º F • Microbial activity starts to decline around 130 º F

29. Maintaining the Pile • Turn pile occasionally • Breaks up materials • Increases rate of decomposition • Exposes weed seeds, insect larvae, and pathogens to lethal temperatures in the core of the pile • Add “greens” to the center of the pile • Pile “browns on top, or layer with fresh “greens” in the center

30. Review Factors Affecting Decomposition Rates: • Presence of microorganisms • Oxygen • Moisture • Temperature • Type of materials • Particle size • Size of the pile • Frequency of turning

31. Harvest Compost • Collect mature compost when it is dark, soil-like, and earthy smelling • Screen compost • Remove larger pieces and return those to the compost pile

32. Use Compost • Apply to plant beds as a soil amendment • Use as mulch • Blend with sand, peat, and perlite for a potting media Layer 1”-2” of compost underneath decorative mulch to save money and improve soil fertility.

33. Vermiculture- Earthworm Farming • Red wigglers, Eisenia foetida and brown-nose worms, Lumbricus rubellas recycle thin layers of food scraps and paper • Worms eat decaying food and paper • Excrete castings, rich in nutrients • Temperatures lower than compost pile

34. Further Readinghttp://edis.ifas.ufl.edu Fact Sheet AE 23: Construction of Home Compost Units SL 114: Converting Yard Waste into Landscaping Assets Circular 958: Backyard Composting of Yard Waste Circular 455: Earthworm Biology and Production Circular 1053: Culture of Earthworms for Bait or Fish Food

35. Thanks for your attention! The following presentation was made possible through a grant from FL DEP and EPA. Special thanks to the following reviewers for their valued contributions: • FL114 ELM Design Team and the FYN Subcommittee • Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, UF • Agriculture Education and Communication Department • Environmental Horticulture Department • Entomology and Nematology Department • Soil and Water Sciences Department • Florida Cooperative Extension Service in: Alachua, Broward, Clay, Hillsborough, Lake, Miami-Dade, Orange, Pinellas, Sarasota, and Volusia Counties • Florida Organics Recycling Center for Excellence • The Center For Wetlands, UF • United States Department of Agriculture • FL Department of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences: Division of Plant Industry