Did you know that a composting bin is now a “Must Have” backyard accessory for many individuals? Why? The answer is simple. This item saves you money and it is a great way to really benefit from your home recycling efforts.

C-O-M-P-O-S-T. Anybody who is thinking about learning to garden, has just started gardening or even is simply dreaming of gardening should memorize this word. Many of us know about compost already, we collect it, use it and preach it! Composted materials are nitrogen rich and extremely safe to use. There are no chemicals involved and your plants and flowers will love this addition to the soil.

This is organic “Black gold “my friends and it’s so simple to make. You can have one of the best gardens in your neighborhood courtesy of your kitchen scraps, yard waste and your handy composting bin. With so many ways to make compost at home there’s no excuse not to have a compost bin in your own back yard.

Basically compost is decomposed organic matter. This means leaves, plants and vegetable scraps that need to be disposed of. Don’t just toss them in the trash and let them be hauled away. Your composting bin will hold these materials and the bin will actually speed up the decomposition process. You can even put some paper waste in your composting bin.

The Do List for composting begins with this main rule,” keep it small”. Whatever you decide to compost, the smaller you make the pieces, the faster they will decompose. Do shred your old newspapers before you add them to your composting bin. Any paper goods other than clay based wrapping paper, wax coated paper cups and magazine pages with waxy coverings can be used for your composting material. Do try to vary your compost recipe; it gives the little microbes that do the work variety in their diet.

The Do Not’s are simple too. Do not add any meat, bones or grease (it attracts animals and creates some really bad odors). Do not add cat, dog (or human!) poop to your compost because all of these contain pathogens that are harmful to humans.

*Rabbit, guinea pig and hamster bedding are all desirable additions to any composting bin. If you happen to have some chickens, their poop is really good to use in your compost bin. It contains a lot of valuable nitrogen.

Next you need to contain all this waste so that it is not spread about in your yard. You can nail wooden pallets together, or make a ring out of fencing wire and toss your organic materials inside these homemade containers. But why would you do this when you can purchase a composting bin to make your composting efforts go even faster?