Showerthought: People keep confusing composting with just throwing food in a pile

I noticed at my neighborhood's green group that folks think any rotting food in a backyard heap counts as composting. But if you toss in dairy or meat without managing it, you get rats and stink instead of soil. I volunteer at the city demo site in Austin and we tested this, piles with the right carbon to nitrogen ratio broke down in 6 weeks while the other one just sat there smelling. Has anyone else dealt with explaining the basics to well-meaning neighbors?

2 comments

2 Comments

mary83610d ago

Tbh, even the stinky pile will break down eventually, just takes way longer.

paulc9310d ago

Totally agree with @mary836, had a pile sit for like two years and it finally turned.