Backyard Composting 

Benefits of Composting
  • Increases infiltration and permeability of heavy soils, thus 
  • reducing erosion and runoff. 
  • Improves water holding capacity, thus reducing water loss and leaching in sandy soils. 
  • Supplies a variety of macro and micronutrients. 
  • May control or suppress certain soil-borne plant 
  • pathogens. 
  • Supplies significant quantities of organic matter. 
  • Improves cation exchange capacity (CEC) of soils and 
  • growing media, thus improving their ability to hold nutrients for plant use. 
  • Supplies beneficial microorganisms to soils and growing media. 
  • Improves and stabilizes soil pH. 
  • Can bind and degrade specific pollutants

What happens to the organics I place in a cart for collection from my home?

Watch the MPCA's Large-Scale Composting video below to find out!  

For more information on how composting your organic materials through collection or drop-off programs benefits our economy, visit the MPCA's website.

Backyard Composting

Resources to help get started composting at home: