Garbage to Garden: The Power of Composting
Not only is composting a great way to keep food waste out of landfills, but it also creates rich soil for your garden. When you toss banana peels and lawn clippings into your compost bin, you’re helping reduce the amount of methane that’s produced in landfills. And you’re improving your soil quality and reducing the need for watering. If you have a yard, get a compost bin or make one out of wood or wire. Apartment dwellers can save up their compost and take it to a compost hub, or use a service that picks up filled compost pails every week or two and replaces them with clean ones.
Compost Hubs
North Beach Compost Hub
mbrisingabove.com/compost
8440 Collins Ave.
This hub serves as a drop-off location for participants and provides educational opportunities to learn more about how to compost and its benefits. Register first.
Miami Beach Compost Hub
mbgarden.org/community-compost
Miami Beach Botanical Garden, 2000 Convention Center Dr.
Since 2016, the garden’s independent compost program has accepted food scraps from residents, diverting over 100,000 pounds of food waste from landfills into gardens.
Monroe County
monroecounty-fl.gov/102/Mulch-Composting
Monroe County and their yard waste contractor offer free compost to the residents of unincorporated Monroe County and the cities of Marathon, Key Colony Beach, Islamorada and Layton at the County’s three transfer stations.
International Compost Awareness Week, May 5-11, 2024
compostfoundation.org/ICAW/ICAW-Home
COMPOST…Nature’s Climate Champion is this year’s theme of the largest and most comprehensive education initiative of the compost industry. ICAW is celebrated during the first full week of May.
Compost Services
Fertile Earthworm Farm
fertileearthwormfarm.com
They serve commercial food waste generators in all of South Florida including the Keys. Their garbage trucks are specifically outfitted for hauling food scraps, allowing them to handle large volumes of food.
Renuable
liverenuable.com
Serving Broward and parts of north Miami-Dade, Renuable offers collection services to residents and organizations.
How to Compost at Home
Find out everything about composting – how to build a bin, what to add to it, and how to use your compost at the UF IFAS Extension office online. Visit sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu and search for “compost.”
Online Composting Classes
Learn how to make rich organic soil from leaves, branches, paper plates and other recyclable materials through composting. Register online.
Can I compost it?
If you’re using a commercial service or dropping off at a hub, check first about what they accept. Find out details at sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu.
YES
Banana skins
Bread
Corn cobs
Eggshells
Fish scraps (bury it)
Fruits and vegetables
Grass clippings
Human and animal hair
Hay
Landscape trimmings (cut in small pieces)
Leaves
Newspaper (shredded)
Peanut shells
Pine needles
Rice
Sawdust from untreated wood
Seaweed
Straw
Tea bags
Vacuum bag waste
NO
Animal byproducts (meat, bones, cheese, milk)
Bones
Cat litter (used)
Chemicals
Fat and grease
Plastic, foil or metal (recycle these)
