In Ohio organic materials (food and yard waste) make up 24 percent of the items usually found in this state’s landfills. Sending these types of materials to a landfill is unnecessary, because they can be composted instead. Composting is a simple process, and anyone can start a compost bin. Whether it’s a large or small bin, you will be helping to decrease the amount of material being sent to landfills.

Setting up a composting bin with your family can be a fun and educational experience. Plus, you will be instilling important values in your children at an early age. If they know how to make and use a compost bin when they are young, they will most likely keep one when they have their own home.

So what can be put into a compost bin? Well, almost any food scraps (except meat, bones and fatty foods like cheese if you don’t want to create odors that attract pests) and waste from your yard such as grass clippings and leaves can be added. Instead of putting these items in the trash can, put them in a compost bin. Day after day the materials in the bin will start breaking down. Eventually, the material can be used as compost, which can be applied to gardens and flowerbeds.

The following materials need to be added to a compost bin in the order listed: coarse materials, soil, nitrogen rich fertilizer, organic material, soil and nitrogen rich fertilizer. When a compost bin is properly monitored for aeration, moisture, sizes of materials and temperature, the decomposition occurs at a more efficient pace.

In order to aerate your compost, all you need is a pitchfork so you can turn and mix the pile at least twice a month. This enables oxygen to reach the materials and break them down quicker without producing too much foul odor. Moisture is also important for the decomposition process, and the bin should be damp and able to collect some rainfall every so often.

Another way to help food scraps break down faster is to keep the size of things small. Lastly, you have to watch the temperature inside the bin. Take the temperature at the same place every time, so you get an accurate measurement. The middle of the compost should be between 110 and 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

Composting can be an easy family project to start. Plus, you can show your children how important it is not to waste food and how food scraps can be transformed into something useful.