What is composting?

The word "composting" refers to the deliberate cultivation of decomposing organic matter, such as dead leaves and vegetable scraps, in order to produce a healthy, nutrient-rich soil. Composting is an ecologically friendly and time-tested method of cultivating rich soil to help garden plants grow large and robust.

Though composting often happens in human-controlled settings such as special refuse containers in a backyard, the soil that results from composting is produced through a natural process of organic decomposition. This allows people to make use of items, such as grass clippings, egg shells, newspapers, animal manure and wood ash, that may ordinarily be disposed of in a less productive manner.