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Yard and Organic Waste Composting

We all know that composting takes our kitchen and yard waste and reduces it to a materials that we can then spread on our plants to make them grown better. Then we get more kitchen waste, compost that and the whole cycle repeats itself. Doing this on a grand scale is a way to help people who do not have the time, energy or space to garden and compost; consequently, their waste finds itself in a landfill. Picking up people's yard waste keeps it from piling up, being burnt or just rotting in place. Some municipalities used to offer yard waste pick up for free, but not all of them do this anymore due to budget cuts and other cutbacks.

What kind of skills and education do I need?

First, you need to know what makes a good composter, what makes good compost and how to handle the finished compost. You also need to know that compost has an odor, it can be a messy job and that it can get warm near a working compost pile. Other skills include organization, timing and the ability to deal with a variety of people.

Educationally, you need to be able to understand how the compost breaks down and what should not go into the average compost pile.

What are the initial risks?

Depending on where you live and how much you are charging for pick up, people may not be interested in your service. You should also know that you cannot compete in a city that has a free pickup service.

What are the initial investment costs?

You will need a truck and the tools to collect the materials. You will also need a fairly large; fenced in area into which to bring the items once you retrieve them. You will need the composter and a place to spread the finished compost as well.

What makes it green?

Returning food materials to their original starting point is what makes it green. As plants grow and get harvested, we eat them and then return them to the soil for the next generation of plant to grow. Compost is a rich, organic fertilizer that takes away our need to use other types of fertilizers on our gardens or plants to make them grow big and prosperous.

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