DIY Compost and Regulations

Composting is a pretty simple process… right? I can hear you say to yourself, “Composting is easy, all I have to do is toss my organic material in a pile and wait.” That statement, as true as it is, can lead to many issues down the road. Composting is a little more complex than a person many think, but can be very simple if you know what you are doing.

Composting starts with your basic organic material (Yard, food, and animal waste). Once you have organic material, there are a few things you need to create the perfect composting environment.

Moisture

Moisture is a key component for composting. In a well maintained compost pile, moisture content should be around 50%! Moisture is important because it gives micro-organisms and bacteria an environment to live in and reproduce quickly. Moisture also helps hold and maintain heat within the pile of organic material.

Heat

The next component is very important to the composting process: heat. Heat does a couple of things to compost. First off, heat kills many soil-borne pathogens and kills off weed seeds. Though the later reason is not as important, it does make gardening a lot easier!  It is not uncommon for a properly maintained compost pile to reach temperatures over 130 Fahrenheit (whoa!). This great amount of heat comes from the bacteria and micro-organisms breaking down the organic material with the proper amount of moisture and oxygen.

O2

The last component needed to compost properly is oxygen. Oxygen does two things in a compost pile. The first is it allows aerobic bacteria and micro-organisms to grow and reproduce. Because an aerobic (with oxygen) bacterium is present you don’t get the odor that is commonly associated with decomposition of organic material as you would with anaerobic (without oxygen) bacteria. The second thing oxygen does is a result of the first. Anaerobic bacteria not only break down organic material with minimal smell, it will also break down organic material in less time. Organic material can go from start to finish in about six months if proper conditions are maintained.

Oxygen can sometimes be a little tricky to maintain in a compost pile. There are two common methods of keeping the compost oxygenated. The first is simply turning the pile and mixing it once or twice a week. The second method is using a manifold and forcing oxygen into the pile with a blower. We use the first.

Regulations

Now that you know how the composting process works there are a few things to keep in mind. The first is anyone can compost on their own property as long as they keep the amount of material on site under 50 cubic yards. Once a site gets to 50 cubic yards a permit is required by the state Department of Natural Resources, or if you live in Minnesota the Pollution Control Agency.
Wisconsin state composting regulations visit: http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Recycling/regs.html
Minnesota state composting regulations visit: http://www.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/waste/waste-and-cleanup/waste-management/commercial-composting/compost.html

How to Use Compost

The secret to thriving vegetables and thick green lawns is nutrient rich compost. Compost is an active material with plant healthy-bacteria, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and micro-organisms. You can’t get that by just adding fertilizer!

Listed below are some of the most common uses for compost:

1. Soil Amendment – Add nutrients to your soil rejuvenating it with compost. Amend your soil with compost by loosening the soil 2-4 inches down in a determined area. Next spread about 3-4 inches of compost on top of the loosened soil and mix it well. Using a tiller to assist with the mixing process will help to oxygenate the soil and give you a more even mix. Our customers use this method in any area of their yards and works especially great in flower beds and gardens.

2. Moisture holding mulch – Compost naturally holds more moisture than regular dirt. When using compost like mulch, first it is important to prepare the area by removing all grass and weeds to prevent them from growing up though the mulch. Next spread the compost around the cleared base of trees, plants, and shrubs. Make sure there is about 2-3 inches of compost material spread evenly. Just like regular mulch, compost breaks down over time. Make sure to add to it once or twice a year.

3. Compost Tea – Your gardens and lawns will thrive from the benefit of this caffeine free drink. Instead of caffeine, this tea energizes your soil with plant healthy-bacteria and microbes without adding additional dirt. You can produce compost tea by first filling a five gallon pail about 1/3 full of compost. Second, top off the bucket with water. Once the bucket is full of the water and compost mix, allow the compost too steep for a couple days. After the compost has steeped simply water your plants with the water from the bucket. If you want to keep the compost separate from the water place the compost in a burlap sack.

4. Lawn Top Dressing – Top dressing your lawn can be done by spreading a thin layer of compost on top of your grass. The compost will work its way into the soil as the grass grows. Apply 1-2 inches of compost to your lawn, rake, and water. Continue to rake it throughout the next few days. Raking will help to work the compost in faster. Top dressing your lawn is best done early spring or late fall after the first hard frost. If you top dressed your lawn, you will not have to fertilize much if at all.

To some gardeners, compost is the life blood of gardening. Some feel that compost is a necessary element that should be added to get the most from their yards/gardens. You may be asking yourself, what are the benefits of adding high quality compost to my yard/garden? According to the US Composting Council, here is a list of reasons you should use high quality compost in your yard and garden.

High Quality Compost…

1. Improves soil structure, porosity, and density giving plants a better chance of developing good root systems.

2. Reduces erosion and runoff in heavier soils.

3. Improves the water holding capacity or soil.

4. Supplies a variety of macro/micro nutrients.

5. Helps to control soil-borne plant pathogens.

6. Supplies significant quantities of organic matter.

7. Improves the soils ability to hold nutrients for plants.

8. Improves and stabilizes soil pH.

9. Supplies beneficial microorganisms.

10. Can bind/degrade specific pollutants.

Community Collection

We all want to live in a clean, safe, environmentally-friendly neighborhood, but what to do with all those leaves, brush, lawn clippings, garden trimmings, and other yard waste items?

We canʼt just throw it away–it is illegal to put such yard waste in landfills (at least in Minnesota and Wisconsin).

We mustnʼt just burn it up–smoke from smoldering leaf piles contains very high concentrations of atmospheric pollutants. At the very least, the smoke is annoying to many of our neighbors. Many communities have placed an outright ban on burning such material.

We shouldnʼt just put it in a pile–unless our goal is to save such material for our childrenʼs children! A static, inactive pile of leaves left unattended will stay in its original condition for years and years.
The best solution, of course, is composting! However, nothing is free in life, and even a simple, ecological, process like composting comes with a significant investment in labor, equipment, site preparation, transportation, and management.

The Backyard Composter:

Anyone can set up a backyard compost site. It is a relatively easy and inexpensive proposition–just build a pile of yard waste, stir in some water, and thoroughly mix it up several times a month–a year or so later, voila! Compost! But, do we all really have the time, energy, and know how to do it right?

The Community Compost Pile:

Many local community leaders have suggested initiatives to establish a compost site accessible to residents to both drop off material and pick up some compost. A good idea, perhaps, but once we start to significantly increase the size of the leaf pile we also significantly increase the cost of properly managing that composting operation. In fact, any compost pile greater than fifty cubic yards must comply with the DNRʼs solid waste regulations. So, do we really want to increase our local tax- supported budget with the cost of obtaining permits, site preparation, material collection, regulatory compliance, and management of a composting operation?

Let the Compost Kings take care of your local communityʼs lawn waste needs!

• DNR Approved!
• 20 years of composting experience — we do it right!
• Private enterprise — not subsidized at the taxpayerʼs expense
• Ecological — Compost Kings provides a valuable service to local communities and produces an all natural, soil enriching, carbon sequestering, environmentally friendly product available to consumers at a fair price.

Communities like the Village of Dresser in northwestern Wisconsin have had a very successful working relationship with the site for many years. Residents are happy because they have a place to take their leaves, garden debris, and lawn clipping, village maintenance crew are happy because they donʼt have to add compost management to their already overly extended work list, and administrators are happy because they donʼt have to oversee an additional department and know theyʼre getting the most out of their budget money!

Contact us right away to make arrangements for your community!

Pick the compost that is right for your application. The three grades of Compost Kings compost are all fully matured and ready for use the day it leaves our facility.

Buy it by the bag for convenience.

Buy it in bulk for great value.

*Bag weights and yard measurements are approximate.

Estimate Yardage

Use our compost calculator below to help you determine how much compost is needed to complete the job.

What you will need: Tape measure, pen, and paper.

Measure the length and width of the area that you will be adding compost to. The depth of the compost will vary dependent on its use. Read More...

If you still need help determining how much compost that will be needed for your project, please call or email us with your measurements. A Compost King will respond to help you determine your compost needs.

You can also use your own math to calculate odd shapes by clicking here.

Estimate Yardage

Expanded Math

In order to determine how much compost you will need, the following tools will be required: Tape measure, pen, paper, and a calculator. Once you have the necessary tools follow these two simple steps.

Step 1: Measuring you project area – Area is measured in a couple different ways depending on the shape of the project. Below are three common examples of how to measure different project areas.

Step 2: How many cubic yards of compost – Now that you have determined the square footage of your project area you will have to determine how much compost you will need. Take the square footage (Project area square footage from step one) multiply by the depth of compost that you want to apply. After multiplying your square footage and depth of compost, multiply by .0031.

You may ask yourself why it matters how much compost you put on your project area. The reason you need to be fairly accurate is because too little or too much compost is not good. Too little compost and the project area will not get enough good bacteria and nutrients. Too much and the nutrients will be wasted.

If you still need help determining how much compost that will be needed for your project, please call or email us with your measurements. A Compost King will respond to help you determine your compost needs.

Use the yardage calculator for rectangular shapes.

Wholesale Inquiry

Our compost is used by landscape designers, professional gardeners, and municipalities. If you have the need to purchase large quantities of compost at wholesale pricing a Compost King would be more than happy to talk dirt with you ;)

Please call or email us with your inquiry.

Composting Drop-off Rules

Drop Off

Compost Kings is accepting yard waste for processing.

Acceptable materials to be composted:

• Grass clippings
• Leaves
• Small twigs
• Small branches
• Pine needles
• Garden waste

Drop-off fees:

• Bagged material: $5 flat rate up to 10 bags, then $0.50 per bag.
• Bulk material $10 per yard (standard pickup bed is approximately 1 3/4 cubic yard in volume)