Composting

Reduce waste and create nutrient rich soil

Composting is a great way to reduce your household's landfilled waste, put nutrients back in the soil, and save money on buying compost, dirt or topsoil for your garden.

• How to Make Good Compost: Though it is not a perfect recipe, you need about 70% browns/carbon (leaves, twigs, newspaper, cardboard) to 30% greens/nitrogen (food scraps). Just remember - you need more browns than greens. Check out this video for a composting 101 tutorial from SWACO. 

• Yard Waste: Yard waste can be disposed of in several ways locally - including composting right at home! There are also curbside and local yard waste disposal, but they can vary by community. Contact your local community in which you live and find out the procedures for curbside yard waste disposal. Residents of Franklin County and other pre-approved areas can take their yard waste to multiple locations throughout Franklin County.

• Save More Than Food: For one Franklin County resident, nearly one pound of food is landfilled every day. That's nearly one million pounds per day - wasted! Learn more about how to reduce food waste.

• Community Composting Programs: A number of communities in Central Ohio have implemented community composting drop off or curbside programs. Community composting programs are available in: Bexley, Dublin, Grandview Heights, Grove City, Hilliard, Upper Arlington, Westerville, and Worthington. 

• Cornell's Compost: Truth or Consequences: Great introduction video to learn about composting from the folks at Cornell University. 

• How to Assemble a SWACO Compost Bin: Check out this video from SWACO to learn how to assemble your SWACO compost bin. 

• Composting Troubleshooting: Having issues? Too wet or clumpy? Add browns. Too dry? Add greens and a little bit of water. It needs to be about as wet as a wrung out sponge. You can turn it (aka stir it) about once a week to speed up the process. Watch this video and check out this troubleshooting guide. 

• Soil Testing Available at OSU's Franklin County Extension Office: Affordable soil testing is available for gardens, home lawns, farm fields, and commercial horticulture operations. Call (614) 866-6900 for more information. 

• OSU Extension Soil Testing for Ohio Lawns, Landscapes, Fruit Crops, and Vegetable Gardens Fact Sheet

For rebate requirements, please visit our Eligible Rebate Items page. 

Keep Rats Out of Your Compost

Follow these tips to keep rodents away from your compost.

• Do not compost any meat, fish, cheese, oils, or greasy foods. 
• Do not compost pet feces or cat litter. While the use of chicken manure is common, rodents will be attracted. Do not compost manure if you have a rodent problem. 
• Bury food scraps in the center of the pile and cover with a layer of yard/paper waste to suppress the smell. 
• Place bin away from other rodent food sources such as bird feeders, pet food bowls, garbage cans, and fruiting trees or bushes. 
• Place bin away from rodent hiding spots such as stacked wood piles, brush piles, sheds, or other outbuildings. 
• Use a store bought rodent-proof compost bin such as an on-the-ground bin with a bottom or a tumbler.

How to DIY Rodent-Proof a Compost Bin

This is how to rodent-proof your on-the-ground compost bin. Remember, tumblers are automatically rodent-proof by design. 

• Prevent rats from burrowing under the compost by putting a bottom underneath your compost bin. For best results, look for a compost bin that comes with a rodent-proof bottom - not all of them come with one! 
  • If your bin did not come with a bottom, you can lay down ¼” to ½” hardware cloth/wire mesh underneath your on-the-ground compost bin directly on the ground. This will allow worms and helpful organisms to enter your compost pile while keeping pesky rodents out. Secure the hardware cloth/wire mesh to the bin with zip ties or lay bricks or rocks on the wire to keep it from moving around. Check it occasionally to make sure critters haven't moved it. 
• Cover open vents with ¼” to ½” wire mesh. 
• Make sure to use a lid.