Good Gardening Means Green Recycling

Plants need sun, soil, and water to grow. Good gardeners know one way to keep plants healthy is to use good soil. Green recycling makes compost, which improves the soil.

When you mix compost with your soil, it improves your soil structure, adding vital microorganisms and micronutrients. Composting also saves water by increasing the soil's water retention capacity.

In other words, compost makes healthier soil, which makes healthier plants.

Create your own compost at home

You can make your own soil-boosting compost right in your own backyard, using a home composting bin. Include leaves, grass, kitchen scraps, and other plant trimmings.

If you don't have a yard, you can recycle food scraps using a worm bin.

Either way, you can save on your garbage bill, put less in our landfills, and grow plants that are the envy of your neighbors.

Visit the Compost Demonstration Garden at Lake Merritt to see the benefits of composting for yourself. Oakland residents can choose from three great home composting bins for $17-$38, instead of the $65-$100 retail price. Visit www.stopwaste.org or call (510) 444-SOIL for more information.

Home composting diverts 543 pounds, per household, per year from the landfill. That's 2.7 tons over 10 years.

Go:

• The New Weekly Pickup - Complete information about all the significant improvements to residential recycling services
• Green cart - weekly yard trimmings and food scraps recycling
• Gray cart - weekly bottles, cans, jars, paper and cardboard recycling
• Burgundy cart - weekly garbage and non-recyclables collection
• Contact your recycling company
• Used motor oil and oil filters - weekly collection for recycling
• Bulky pickup and recycling (household appliances and other bulky items)
• Holiday collection (what happens when your service day is also a holiday)
• Holiday tree recycling each January
• Back to residential homepage