Considering composting? Triangle counties have programs to get you started
Backyard composting — the process of turning organic matter like kitchen scraps into a fertilizer-like substance — can enhance your backyard garden while helping the environment.
The largest category of waste going into landfills is food waste, said Rhonda Sherman, a world-renowned composting and vermicomposting expert who’s an extension specialist at NC State. Food waste doesn’t only take up space in a landfill, but it decomposes and produces methane gas, a leading factor in climate change.
“If you’re not diverting food waste from landfills, you’re making methane,” said Muriel Williman, president of the NC Composting Council. “So get food waste out of landfills, and you’re eliminating methane.”
If you’re thinking about getting into composting but don’t know where to start, check out our guide to local programs that can help.
Note: Compost bins and training events may only be available for town or county residents. If you’re interested in a specific offering, check in with your own town or county to see if you have access to an equivalent program.
Composting in Cary, NC
▪ Cary’s pilot food waste drop off is a new and local way to turn food waste into compost. The material will be processed by a local facility, and some of the compost will be given to Good Hope Farm, a farm developed by the Town of Cary and four nonprofit groups. The site for this pilot program is at the Citizen’s Convenience Center at 313 N. Dixon Ave. in Cary.
For more details about this pilot program, including the materials accepted, visit townofcary.org.
▪ Good Hope Farm will host compost giveaway workshops between March 22 and March 26. This composting course will also let you go home with three bags of compost, two home guide books and lots of information from a composting expert. Info: townofcary.org.
▪ Purchase a compost bin through the Town of Cary from April 1 to May 6. The EnviroWorld 82-gallon residential compost bin is available through the town for half the typical retail price, Cary’s website says. Info: townofcary.org.
Composting options in Chatham County, NC
▪ Chatham County’s Solid Waste & Recycling department has $45 EnviroWorld FreeGarden EARTH backyard compost bins available for purchase. These can be purchased at the Main Facility in Pittsboro on weekdays.
▪ You can also purchase a $5 kitchen collector, which can sit on your counter or under your sink to collect food scraps.
▪ Chatham County Cooperative Extension also holds composting classes throughout the year. Info: chatham.ces.ncsu.edu.
For more information on purchasing a composting bin, kitchen collector or arranging a private composting class, visit chathamcountync.gov.
Composting options in Durham, NC
▪ Durham’s Solid Waste Management Department is trying out a 12-week food waste composting pilot program with volunteers in the Walltown neighborhood. Participating residents can get an indoor countertop container and an outdoor cart. For more information about the pilot program, which is happening now, visit durhamnc.gov.
▪ Durham County Center’s NC Cooperative Extension also holds classes, demonstrations and forums about backyard composting and home gardening. Visit durham.ces.ncsu.edu for resources and upcoming events.
▪ Keep Durham Beautiful has a composting guide: keepdurhambeautiful.org/composting.
Composting in Orange County, NC
▪ Buy an 80-gallon Earth Machine compost bin for $50 from Orange County.
▪ You can also check out the county’s Compost Demonstration Sites, where you can learn more about outdoor composting via educational classes. These are offered at least four times per year.
For more information, visit orangecountync.gov.
Composting options in Wake County, NC
▪ Purchase a Earth Machine compost bin for $50, which is roughly half the price of the retail cost, Wake County’s website says. This compost bin sale will open May 1, but residents can pre-order their bins ahead of time.
For more information, including resources teaching composting basics, visit wakegov.com.
Note: We checked with Johnston County and they did not report any composting programs there.
Composting options via NC State’s Compost Learning Lab
The NC State Compost Learning Lab is an education, research and demonstration site in Raleigh. It has 25 types of backyard composting units with areas for hands-on training. There’s even a Worm Barn, which houses vermicomposting worm bins.
This website has information and resources for beginner and longtime composters. To access these, and to see what events and trainings are coming up, visit composting.ces.ncsu.edu.
What to know about composting, reducing waste
▪ There are many ways to reduce waste: If keeping compost in your backyard isn’t the right option for you, you might be able to save your food scraps and drop them off weekly at your local farmer’s market.
But there are many, many more ways to ensure your food scraps aren’t making their way to landfills via your kitchen’s garbage bag.
“Food waste in landfills is a huge problem, and we have to do something to stop throwing away our food waste,” Sherman said. “Good thing composting is so easy!”
That brings us to ...
▪ Remember the three R’s (and the C!): We’ve all been taught the three Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle. But remember composting too, Williman said. All four are necessary to cut down on our waste and ensure the waste we produce is being put to good use.
Make the most of your food scraps from the outset.
“Learn to make tasty soups and stews to ensure you’re not wasting your food,” said Kate Sullivan, the NC Composting Council’s communications chair. “The key here is reducing your waste in the first place, then composting what waste you have left.”
▪ Take steps to cut down on waste entirely: When we were all forced to become homebodies in 2020, many of us started cooking from home and noticed just how much food we need to cook our meals — and how much waste we generate, Sullivan said.
When you compost, you begin keeping track of your regular food waste, and thinking of what gets thrown into the pile can help us avoid purchasing a surplus of that food in the first place, Sullivan said.
How to backyard compost, what you need to get started
▪ Find your bin: Contact your town or county’s solid waste management center to see if they sell compost bins, such as Orange County’s $50 Earth Machine or Chatham County’s $45 EnviroWorld FreeGarden EARTH.
These compost bins will usually have a locking lid to ensure that bugs and critters stay out of your compost and keep moisture sealed inside.
Purchasing a compost bin through your town will usually save you half price from buying retail, Sherman said. Plus, some of our local towns’ compost bins are her highest-rated ones.
But again, if keeping a compost bin in your backyard isn’t right for you, that doesn’t mean you can’t compost.
▪ Get familiar with “browns” and “greens:” These are the organic materials that get put in your compost bin or pile.
The “browns” are carbon sources that provide energy to your compost pile, give energy to microorganisms and absorb moisture. You can use dead leaves, newspaper, cardboard and other materials for your “browns.”
The “greens” are nitrogen sources that give moisture to your compost pile’s microorganisms. These can be banana peels, coffee grounds, garden trimmings and much, much more.
“Think about it like this: If it came from a plant, that green thing that grows out of dirt, then it’s a ‘green,’” Williman said.
For a full list of what can be composted and what should not go into your compost bin, check out NC State Extension Publications’ backyard composting guide: content.ces.ncsu.edu
▪ It takes very little time commitment: Sherman has been composting and vermicomposting (composting with the help of earthworms and microorganisms) for about three decades. She’s created a quick and easy system to let you spend only three minutes per week composting in your backyard:
Here’s her secret method:
Fill your compost bin two-thirds of the way up with “browns.” She mostly uses dead leaves.
Store your (acceptable) food scraps in the freezer. She uses a plastic bin, roughly the size of a shoebox, and doesn’t put a lid on top.
When your freezer bin gets full, bring it outside to your compost bin.
Use a gardening fork (and make sure it has a long handle, as you don’t want your hands in the compost pile) to create a hole in your leaf pile.
Dump your frozen food scraps inside the hole, and use the fork to cover them up. Make sure the food scraps are covered by your “browns” on all sides.
Return your plastic shoebox to the freezer, and repeat.
There are some food scraps — like meat, bones and dairy — that cannot be added to your compost pile, as they will attract carnivorous creatures. Sherman recommends using the Green Cone to compost those, too. For more information, visit greenconeusa.com.
▪ Remember to water: Water and oxygen are necessary ingredients for a perfect compost pile.
Sherman keeps her food waste in her freezer, which comes with a few benefits: there’s no smell, no yucky sludge and no need to add water to her compost pile.
“Food waste is mostly water and that turns that to ice, so when the food waste thaws, it releases all this water and it breaks down the scraps much more quickly,” Sherman said. “Plus, this wets the compost pile, so I never have to add water.”
If you choose not to store your compost in your freezer, you’ll need to water frequently to make it visibly wet, but not drippy or soupy: “If you were to give it a good squeeze, water droplets would form around your fingers,” Williman said.
▪ Know when it’s ready for the garden: “Finished compost is drier, brown and crumbly, cool to the touch, with a sweet earthy aroma. In other words, if your compost looks like dirt, feels like dirt and smells like dirt, you can pop it in your garden, landscapes, potted plants and watch the vigor grow!” Williman said.
“Anything that you can still recognize as something other than compost should go back in the process for another go round.”
This story was originally published February 11, 2022 at 10:03 AM.
