ECONOTES : The Sweet Smell of Compost Success
“Compost happens,†say the environmentalists. And the Los Angeles Recycling Division wants it to happen more. It is introducing free workshops for back-yard composters. “We’re doing it to let people know they don’t have to put yard trimmings in the trash,†says spokeswoman Sue Hayter. “Composting can produce a very nutritious soil amendment.â€
The Saturday workshops include a demonstration, a free composting guide and directions on how to buy or build a compost bin. “Everybody has questions,†Hayter says. “A lot of people think a compost heap is smelly, but it shouldn’t be. You just need to know the basics.â€
Grass clippings, hedge prunings, tree branches and certain food wastes can decompose into a rich, crumbly compost. Composting styles range from simply letting the heap sit quietly for a few months to the intervention technique of frequent stirring and mixing.
The next workshop is Saturday at 10 a.m. at the TreePeople complex at Coldwater Canyon and Mulholland Drive. The public is invited. Because yard clippings hog almost a third of the city’s residential trash, the Recycling Division is anxious to, uh, spread the word.
“Compost used to be called mulch piles, and it was popular in the 1970s after the first Earth Day,†Hayter says. “Now it seems to be catching on again. . . . It’s a good trend; we’re all for it.â€
Other 10 a.m. workshops will be Sept. 26 in Griffith Park and Oct. 17 at Temescal Canyon Park in Pacific Palisades. For more composting information: (800) 773-CITY.
