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Health & Fitness

Compost Happens!

Happy International Compost Awareness Week!

Eco Audrey wishes you all a very happy International Compost Awareness Week or ICAW, as they say in the composting world. ICAW is the largest and most comprehensive education initiative of the compost industry. It is celebrated each year in the first full week of May. You gotta love a whole week dedicated to the celebration of decomposition! 

How do microbes, fungi, and worms turn rinds, peelings, and yard waste into nutrient rich compost? Eco Audrey likes to think it is magic, but it is really a natural process that can be speeded up by giving the decomposers the right balance of food, water and oxygen. A commercial composter can turn yard waste into compost in just 3 months. The ease and benefits of composting were a prime reason that Missouri banned yard waste from landfills in the early 1990’s.  Why landfill a resource that can be naturally turned into black gold for our gardens?

This resource is particulary important in metro areas, where soils have been stripped during construction. Adding compost to soils is an inexpensive way to re-build soil structure. Compost also helps retain moisture, control erosion, and suppress weeds and plant disease.

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So, whether you want to purchase compost from a licensed compost facility or start your own backyard pile, Eco Audrey suggests you visit www.RecycleSaintLouis.com.  There you will find information on how to compost and a list of facilities where you can purchase commercial compost. 

For information on International Compost Awareness Week, visit  the U.S. Composting Council website at http://compostingcouncil.org/icaw/.

Find out what's happening in Clayton-Richmond Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Finally, to quote one of Eco Audrey’s favorite bumper sticker-  “A Rind is a Terrible Thing to Waste- COMPOST!”

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