How to compost in Montgomery County, Md.

Left: A free recycling bin provided by Montgomery County. (Image provided courtesy of Montgomery County Department of Solid Waste Services)

In 2007, yard waste such as grass, branches, and plant clippings comprised 12.7 percent of solid waste in Montgomery County, Md. Most of that waste is either recycled or composted by the county. Yet this yard waste, with a little effort and minimal expense, can be composted into gardener's gold: rich soil that can be used to grow mouthwatering tomatoes, herbs, and other plants.

This is where Alan Pultyniewicz, Montgomery County recycling coordinator, comes in. He works with county residents to encourage them to compost their own yard waste. Today at a $5, one-hour class at Brookside Gardens, Pultyniewcz outlined a basic process for low-maintenance, low-effort composting:

1) Combine high-carbon "brown material" (including leaves, wood chips, cotton rags, and dryer lint) with nitrogen-rich "green material" (including grass, flowers, coffee grounds, and pruned branches). Keep the mixture in either an open pile or a compost bin (more on these below). To expedite decomposition, keep the size of the materials between 1/4 and 1 inch.

2) If you need the compost in one to four months, then turn the pile every week or two using a pitchfork or an aerator. Keep the pile as moist as a damp sponge. If the pile is too damp, add more brown material (i.e., leaves). If it's too dry, add more green material (i.e., grass). The optimal temperature for decomposition is between 104 and 140 degrees. You can monitor the temperature using a 3 foot long thermometer, available in gardening stores. To lower temperature, add more brown material. To raise temperature, add more green material.

3) If you don't feel like turning the pile, you can let the materials sit in a pile and they will decompose in around a year, depending on the size of the materials. This is called "cold composting."

Montgomery County offers free composting bins to county residents in an attempt to encourage homeowners to compost their own yard waste. Otherwise, the county ends up having to transport the yard waste to its solid waste transfer station, according to Pultyniewicz. From there, these materials are hauled by train to the county's "waste-to-energy resource recovery facility" in Dickerson, where the materials are processed. The ash that results is then transported by rail and truck to a landfill in Southern Virginia.

More next time on how to compost kitchen waste such as vegetable peels.