Want to Learn to Compost? City Might be Able to Help

Want to learn how to compost?

If you're into that, the city's has got you covered.

The city is hosting a composting seminar conducted by the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District in the Woman’s Club Pavilion at  at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 13.

Those who attend will learn the ins and outs of composting household yard waste and food scraps. 

Compost bins will be sold following the seminar. 

As reported by , composting is an easy solution for keeping organic material – food waste, leaves and grass clippings – out of the landfill. These organic materials account for as much as 30 percent of the waste stream.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, our country generates more than 34 million tons of food waste each year. In 2009, less than three percent of that amount was recovered and recycled. The remaining 33 tons was thrown away making food waste “the single largest component of MSW (municipal solid waste) reaching landfills and incinerators,” according to the US EPA website.

Contrary to what some think, food waste does not decompose in the landfill.  Trapped inside a plastic bag, it ferments and creates the greenhouse gas known as methane. So the practice of composting is a not only a great diversion solution and way to prevent the production of methane gas, the result is a wonderful soil amendment that our plants and flowers love.

According to the city's news release, composting is an inexpensive way of adding nutrients back into the soil to improve its texture, structure, aeration ability and water-holding capacity.

Not only that, but composting can save time and money spent on yard waste bags. 

City ordinance allows composting in the rear yard if it is a reasonable distance from roads, kept in orderly condition and doesn’t blow around or emit objectionable odors.

To register for the free seminar, call the Division of Refuse and Recycling at (216) 252-4322 or email refuse@lakewoodoh.net. 

Lakewood Patch reporter Chrissy Kadleck contributed to this report.