CHECKOUT LANE: GARDENERS' GOLD; Compost bins also help you show your green side

By A.J. BAUER
The Patriot Ledger  July 7, 2007

QUINCY - Whether you’re looking to clean up those summertime yard trimmings or disposing of table scraps, purchasing a compost bin can help you put your trash to good use.

Compost bins allow users to decompose plant-based refuse - everything from coffee grounds and paper to grass trimmings and leaves - into a material that can be used to fertilize soil.

You don’t need a compost bin to make compost, but a bin helps prevent the odor and pests that a compost heap can attract.

‘‘If you’re going to compost food scraps, you should have it contained,’’ said Claire Sullivan, executive director of the South Shore Recycling Cooperative.

One good place to start looking for a compost bin is your town’s public works department. Many South Shore towns participate in a grant program through the state Department of Environmental Protection that allows them to sell compost bins at drastically reduced prices.

The two models available - Earth Machine, with 10 cubic feet in capacity, and the New Age Composter, with a capacity of 24 cubic feet - sell for between $60 and $100 at retail prices, but can be purchased through participating towns for about $25.

When choosing your bin, you first need to take into account what you plan on composting, said Ann McGovern, consumer waste reduction coordinator with the DEP.

‘‘For a lot of yard waste, I’d recommend the larger bin,’’ McGovern said.

The two bins offered through the DEP grant program each provide similar features, although McGovern said the New Age Composter lets in more rain water, which can be useful in maintaining your compost.

Once you get your bin, you can start composting waste by simply putting plant-derived waste into the bin and mixing it with a little bit of water. McGovern said the rule of thumb is to put in three parts ‘‘brown’’ material (paper and leaves, for example) for every one part ‘‘green’’ material (such as grass trimmings and vegetable waste).

The compost requires mixing on occasion to keep the concoction aerated. If you’re willing to spend more than $100, you can purchase bins with turning mechanisms. But both Sullivan and McGovern recommend simply using a garden hoe or pitchfork to stir your compost.

McGovern said summer is one of the best times to start composting waste because of excess yard waste and because compost decomposes faster in warm weather. If you turn your compost once a week, you can have a fresh batch within three months, she said. If you’re less active it can take six months to a year.

But when you’re done, you’ve got a material that will help your garden shine next year.

‘‘I use mine on my lawn and my gardens,’’ Sullivan said. ‘‘It works wonderfully, and saves me a trip to the landscape store.’’

BUYING YOUR BIN

The following South Shore towns provide subsidized compost binstowns participate in the DEP grant. If your town isn’t listed or is out of the compost bin you want, you can purchase one at the Boston Building Materials Co-op, 100 Terrace St., in Boston. Call They can be contacted at 617-442-2262.

Abington  781-982-2119
Bin type sold: Earth Machine (EM)

Braintree  781-794-8088
Bin type sold: Both

Cohasset  781-383-0273
Bin type sold: EM

Hull 781-925-0900
Bin type sold: Both

Kingston  781-585-0513
Bin type sold: New Age Composter (NAC)

Marshfield  781-831-3134
Bin type sold: Both

Milton  617-898-4871
Bin type sold: Both

Plymouth  508-747-1620
Bin type sold: EM

Quincy  617-376-1953
Bin type sold: EM

Randolph  781-961-0924
Bin type sold: NAC

Rockland  At landfill
Bin type sold: NAC

Sharon  781-784-1525 x12
Bin type sold: EM

Weymouth  781-337-5100 x309
Bin type sold: NAC

Source: Department of Environmental Protection

A.J. Bauer may be reached at ajbauer@ledger.com .

Copyright 2007 The Patriot Ledger
Transmitted Saturday, July 14, 2007