Fall Composting Produces Healthy Outcomes

Fall is here, which means leaves will soon be covering the ground. Wondering what you can do with all that yard waste? 

Leaf composting is an inexpensive, productive and sustainable way to get rid of all the leaves and help your soil, plants and lawn. It reduces the need to landfill organic material, saving landfill space. Composting can be a rewarding experience because it is beneficial for the composter and the environment – a win-win.

Compost is produced when organic matter is broken down by bacteria and fungi into a valuable soil amendment. It is nature’s natural recycling process.  Raked leaves, mowed grass and trimmed branches are some of the materials you can use to make compost at home. Compost can be used in vegetable gardens and flower beds, raked into an existing lawn or used with potting soil.

The Compost Research & Education Foundation believes that recycling organics into compost and using it on our farmlands creates healthy soils that produce healthier food and higher yields. It can reduce the need for fertilizer and pesticides, improve water quality, conserve water and store carbon in soil - possibly helping to reduce climate change. Composting not only helps the environment, but may help to decrease food shortages experienced around the world. 

Interested? There are several methods of backyard composting and the tools and equipment range from basic gardening tools to special-purpose bins and tumblers. The Virginia Cooperative Extension provides extensive information on the benefits of using compost and how to start composting at home in its Backyard Composting publication. The Solid Waste Division also sells compost bins at the county’s Compost Facility for $30.

Not ready to start composting on your own? Simply place yard waste in paper yard waste bags or in a container labeled “Yard Waste” for curbside collection by your trash and recycling collection company. The special collection of yard waste is mandatory from March through December in Prince William County. Collected yard waste is commercially composted at the county’s compost facility and the commercially produced compost can be purchased at the Prince William County Landfill or Compost Facility to use in gardens and landscapes.

Fall is a great time to get some exercise and outdoor activity by composting your leaves and other yard waste to make a soil amendment that is beneficial for your garden and the globe, year-round.