> Composting Guidelines and Tips
> Be a carbon farmer and fight climate change in your own backyard!
> How to Know if Your Product is Compostable
> Local Resources for Compost Bins
> Compost Drop-off Sites in Boulder County
> How to Compost with Worms - great for apartments and mountain homes
Why Compost
Putting biodegradable items in the compost bin instead of the trash is one of the easiest and most effective first steps you can take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
It also turns what would be “garbage” into a nutrient-rich soil amendment that restores our farmland and promotes sustainable agriculture. Not bad for one little bin!
Curbside Composting Guidelines
Download curbside composting guidelines for Boulder County
Your curbside compost goes to an industrial composting facility where giant compost piles can reach up to 150 degrees, allowing them to break down many of the items that wouldn’t break down in your backyard compost pile. This process also destroys pathogens, making it safe to compost paper towels, tissues and raw meat. Within four months, your leftover food can be returned to the earth to feed plants or improve degraded land.
Is it compostable? Which product labels you can trust, and which are greenwash.
Is it compostable? Download compost product guidelines to know which items are safe for curbside composting.
Local Resources for Bins
McGuckin's in Boulder sells Sure Close composting kits with certified-compostable liner bags (see photo, right).
The CompoKeeper was designed in Boulder, CO to collect and contain food waste in the kitchen without odors, fruit flies or multiple trips to the curb.
The Boulder County Resource Conservation Division sells Soilsaver brand backyard composting bins for $60.00. Contact kroddy@bouldercounty.org or call (720) 564-2226 for more information and to arrange pick-up time.
Boulder:
Eco-Cycle CHaRM: Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials
Longmont:
Longmont Waste Diversion Center
Composting FAQs:
Q: How do I avoid fruit flies?
Q: How do I get rid of fruit flies?
A: Try this home-made fruit fly trap.-
Yogurt or deli tub (8, 16, 32 oz work fine) with lid, clean and dry
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Scissors
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Paperclip or small piece of tape
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Rectangular piece of scrap paper, at least 3 in. x 5 in.
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A few ounces of vinegar (red cider vinegar works best, but all produce results. If using white vinegar, a small scrap of fruit will help attract the fruit flies)
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Optional: small scrap of fruit
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Cut a small circle, at least the size of a dime, into the lid.
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Roll the paper diagonally to create a funnel
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Fit the funnel inside the hole, narrow part pointing down, with at least an inch of the funnel sticking out below the lid.
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Secure the funnel with a small piece of tape, or a paper clip.
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Fill the bottom of the yogurt tub with vinegar, at least ¾-inch deep. You may add small scrap of fruit, like an apple core, to the vinegar.
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Secure the lid with the funnel onto the tub. There should be some space between the bottom of the funnel and the vinegar.
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You're done!
