Learn how to build and construct a hot compost pile using the SMART method.
Field training events are offered separately for hands-on demonstration of composting techniques. Click here for the event schedule.
Register HERE.
Where: Waste Connections of WA, 9411 NE 94th Ave, Vancouver, WA 98662
Go through the gate and there will be parking on your left. Our meeting room is in the building on your right. Enter through the door on the north side of the building. For safety reasons, do not go past the parking lot/building without high visibility personal protective equipment.
Learn more about this event and future workshops at clarkcountycomposts.org
Backyard Composting
There are many systems for composting yard and kitchen waste in your backyard. You can visit one of our composting demonstration sites to see various bins and systems in use.
The two basic backyard composting methods are fast— batch or hot composting, and slow— add as you go or cold composting. Mother nature doesn’t care which one you use. But you might! With the faster hot composting method, the end product can be higher quality— but the amount of work needed to turn and monitor your pile is more. With cold composting, not as much work is needed, but it can take several months to a year to get usable compost.
SMART is an acronym for the compost factors you should pay attention to for best results:
S: Size
The size of your pile and the pieces you put in it. Your pile should be at least 3 x 3 x 3 feet in volume (for a hot pile). Your woody pieces of material should be chopped up to less than 2″ in diameter.
M: Moisture
Keep the pile moist as a wrung out sponge. You can mist it with a hose as you add new material.
A: Aeration
Turn your compost occasionally. You want oxygen to get into the pile, and to get the materials mixed. Serious composters try to get the pile hot — and turn it once the temperature drops.
R: Ratio
The ratio of “browns” to “greens” should be an average of Carbon/Nitrogen 30:1. An easy way to measure this is to go by volume — and use 1:1. One unit of brown to one of green. An easy way to remember this is “equal parts of green and brown help to break the compost down.”
T: Tools
Find the best compost system for you and recommendations on best tools for the trade.