Recycling is essential in preserving and protecting our environment as well as our natural resources.  We recycle things like glass, tin, plastic and paper, to name only a few.  However, composting is also a great way to recycle.  While the green waste in Ventura is collected by E.J. Harrison and taken to Calwood/Agromin where it's ground into small pieces and used as mulch or burned for energy, the "green waste" (or biodegradable waste or organic materials), from our yards and parks such as grass clippings, flowers and hedge trimmings, make a fantastic compost.  When combined appropriately with certain food scraps from our kitchens, they are a nutrient-packed fertilizer and soil amendment.

What goes in a compost bin?

• yard waste
• lawn and hedge clippings
• leaves
• flowers
• twigs
• straw

• tea bags
• coffee grounds
• fruit and vegetable trimmings (including rinds and cores)
• grains (rice, barley, etc -cooked or uncooked)
• old spices (not with the bottle!)
• egg shells (crushed)
• corn cobs and husks

What doesn't go in the compost bin?

• No cat and dog excrement
• No meat and fish scraps or waste (bones, fat, gristle, skin, etc.)
• No dairy products (cheese, butter, cottage cheese, yogurt)
• No grease and oils of any kind
• No diseased plant material
• No perennial weeds
• No plastic, tin, glass and other synthetic materials as they do not decompose!

The City of Ventura's Environmental Sustainability Division offers two free compost workshops a year  -- in the spring and fall. Recently, Educator Paul Vaksvik gave a "How To Compost" talk at Green Thumb Nursery.  This month on "Sustainable Ventura," seen locally on Caps-TV's VTV Channel 15, Thursdays, 8:30pm, the series takes a visit to Paul's compost workshop.  Find out more about Paul's great composting tips:

This month on the show, "Sustainable Ventura" also visits Calwood/Agromin and even a trip to the old West!  Watch the entire show: