Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Minimize Waste to

Minimize Work

Frank Reilly
Bottom Line Up-Front

• Yard waste is expensive

• Its best to avoid it – Reduce
• If you can’t – Reuse it
• Or Recycle it

www.AdvancedMasterGardener.org

PAGE 2
Agenda

• Yard Waste is Fuel for Wildland Fires

• Yard Waste – Wastes Land Fill Space
• Reduce Yard Waste
• Reuse Yard Waste
• Recycle Yard Waste

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Yard Waste is Fuel for Wildland Fires

Virginia Fires are less dramatic

But burn on the ground and through brush

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Yard Waste is Fuel for Wildland Fires

• The reason for this program

• Don’t burn yard waste
• Defensible Space
• Debris Piles
• Leaves

PAGE 5
 Yard Waste – Wastes Land Fill Space

Yard Waste Program Summary

Hanover County
• Spends $1,000,000.00 per year to handle and
transport solid waste
• Receives 20,000 tons yard waste per year
• Composting and recycling yard waste saves
dollars
• Helped avoid Landfill Closure!

PAGE 7
Agenda

• Yard Waste is Fuel for Wildland Fires

• Yard Waste – Wastes Land Fill Space
• Reduce Yard Waste
• Reuse Yard Waste
• Recycle Yard Waste

PAGE 8
Reduce Yard Waste

• Plan your Landscape

• Right Plant Right Place
• Consider Easy Maintenance
• Consider Pest Resistance
– Pest Management
• Consider Climate
• Improve the soil

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 Reduce Yard Waste
Plan your landscape
appropriately

•Avoid invasive and/or

messy species

P A G E 10
 Reduce Yard Waste
Plan your landscape
appropriately
•Avoid invasive and/or
messy species

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 Reduce Yard Waste

Right plant, right place!

•Perhaps most importantly is
choosing plants with
appropriate cultural
requirements

•Do plants adapted to dry

climates do best in “urban”
soils?

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 Reduce Yard Waste

Right plant, right place!

•How Big WILL it get?

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 Reduce Yard Waste
Plan your landscape
appropriately
•What is the ultimate size
of the plant? Even
nursery tags and/or
literature can sometimes
be misleading
•“Compact” does not
necessarily mean “small” –
Euonymus alatus

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Reduce Yard Waste

• How Long is the

plant useful?

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Reduce Yard Waste

Easy maintenance
•Pruning, raking, and
mowing grass can all lead
to excess waste –
naturalized landscapes
can help reduce clean up

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Climate
•Zonal ratings are obvious
– but microclimates are
less so – there can be
dramatic exposure and
temperature variations
within just a few feet
•Plan for daily changes –
not just seasonal

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 Reduce Yard Waste

Improve the soil!

Poor soil quality causes
a high percentage of plant
failures
Many sites have poor
soil – low fertility and
biodiversity
Clay soils often have
poor drainage.
Compounded by
compaction

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 Reduce Yard Waste

Pest Resistance

•Not only can treatments

be environmentally
harmful, but sick and dead
plants create LOTS of
waste

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 Reduce Yard Waste

Pest Management

•4 tiers of IPM
– Set action thresholds
– Monitor and ID pests
– Prevention
– Control

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Pest Management

•A reduction in the impact

of pests can prevent major
plant losses – and reduce
yard waste

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 Reduce Yard Waste

Water
•We want to minimize water
use – but you still must plan
for it’s availability or you’ll end
up with dead material

•Container grown plants are

often particularly drought
sensitive

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 Reduce Yard Waste

Nutrition

•Scouting is nearly as
important for nutrition as it
is for pests – find the little
problem before it gets big
•Know how to fix problem
– adding fertilizers may
not be the solution

P A G E 23
Agenda

• Yard Waste is Fuel for Wildland Fires

• Yard Waste – Wastes Land Fill Space
• Reduce Yard Waste
• Reuse Yard Waste
• Recycle Yard Waste

P A G E 24
Reduce Yard Waste

• Make Mulch and Use it

– The right way
• GrassCycling
• Novel Re-uses

P A G E 25
Reduce Yard Waste

• Mulch to:
– Retain soil moisture
– Control Weeds
– Prevent soil compaction & prevent erosion
– Moderate soil temperature (Summer & Winter)
– Reduce plant disease
– Provide crop protection
– Better appearance
• Underwear concept!

P A G E 26
P A G E 27
 Reduce Yard Waste
Resistance to Weeds and

Mulch Compaction Looks wind blowing Availability disease Fire hazard

Compost B B A A C No

Corn stalks A F B C A Yes

Hay B C B C C Yes

Lawn D D B A C No

clippings

Leaf mold B B A A C No

Leaves F B D A B Yes

A=Excellent; B=Good; C=Fair; D=Poor; F=Unsatisfactory

P A G E 28
Reduce Yard Waste

Mulch
• Mulch volumes to cover to a 1 inch depth
• 1 cubic yard covers 324 ft2
• 1 cubic foot covers 12 ft2
• Calculate yd 3 for your garden:
Area to be mulched (Feet) X Depth (inches)
324
• http://
www.gardenplace.com/content/calculator/mulch_calc.html

P A G E 29
Mulch Problems
• Sour Mulch
• High nitrogen in grass clippings
• Matting in leaves
• Weed seeds in compost
• Artillery fungus
• Other “novel” fungi
• Alleleopathy
• C:N ratio & deficiencies
• High alcohol de-pigmentation
• Over-mulching

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Reduce Yard Waste

Mulch Timing
• Perennial Beds – Early
• Annual beds – when planting or after seeds
sprout
• Trees/Shrubs – whenever
• Vegetable sets – when planting & renew
• Vegetable seeds – after sprouting.

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Preparing Mulch

• Chipper shredder – bigger IS better

• Lawn mower
• Safety First
• Composting

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Proper Mulching
•Check Soil Moisture
•Check depth
– Refresh by raking

•2-4 inches or less

•out to drip line
•No closer than 2-4 in to
trunk

P A G E 33
Problems with too much mulch

P A G E 34
 Reduce Yard Waste

GrassCycling
• Leave the clippings
– Free fertilizer
– Decomposition is really fast
– Even clumps break down fast
• Mulching mower
• Sharp Blade
• Mow when dry

P A G E 35
Benefits of GrassCycling
• Reduce yard waste by 20% - 40% or more.
• Save time, trouble and expense of bagging or putting yard waste in cans
• Save gas and energy required to transport and process grass clippings
• Reduce the need for fertilizer by one-third
• Reduce the demand for water
• Reduce negative impact on water quality from erosion and pesticide
application
• Provide moisture and nutrients to the soil and cushioning layers to
reduce wear
•  Leaving grass clippings on your lawn can generate up to 25% of the
lawn's yearly fertilizer needs
• Lawns stay greener and healthier when clippings are left on them.
• Grass clippings don't cause thatch.

P A G E 36
 Reduce Yard Waste
Novel Reuses
• Grapevine wreaths
• Fallen wood in the landscape/pond
• Fallen wood or sapling fencing
• Planters
• Dried grasses and flowers
• Feeders

P A G E 37
Agenda

• Yard Waste is Fuel for Wildland Fires

• Yard Waste – Wastes Land Fill Space
• Reduce Yard Waste
• Reuse Yard Waste
• Recycle Yard Waste

P A G E 38
Composting = Recycling

P A G E 39
Recycle Yard Waste
Composting Considerations
• Microorganisms
• Moisture
• Particle size
• Temperature
• Oxygen
• Carbon / Nitrogen Ratio

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Recycle Yard Waste

Microorganisms

Bacteria
Fungi
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Recycle Yard Waste

Moisture

50% is ideal

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Recycle Yard Waste
Particle Size

P A G E 43
Recycle Yard Waste

Particle Size

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 Recycle Yard Waste

Temperature Profile
900 to 1400 F
Cool

Hot

Cold Warm Cold

P A G E 45
Recycle Yard Waste

Compost Pile Dimensions

How Small? How Big?

Minimum Size Maximum Size

3 X 3 X 3 5 X 5 X 5

P A G E 46
Recycle Yard Waste
Oxygen

To speed
process, turn
more
frequently

P A G E 47
Recycle Yard Waste

Carbon : Nitrogen Ratio

“Browns” vs. “Greens”

30:1 is ideal ratio

P A G E 48
Recycle Yard Waste

High Carbon Sources

•Leaves •Straw
•Paper •Sawdust

P A G E 49
Recycle Yard Waste

Materials With High Carbon Value

Fruit Wastes 35:1
Leaves 40-80:1
Corn Stalks 60:1
Straw 80:1
Bark 100-130:1
Paper 170:1
Sawdust 500:1
Wood 700:1
P A G E 50
Recycle Yard Waste

High Nitrogen Sources

•Grass Clippings

•Kitchen Scraps

•Manures

P A G E 52
Recycle Yard Waste

Materials With High Nitrogen Value

Food Wastes 15:1

Grass Clippings 20:1
Cow Manure 20:1
Horse Manure 25:1

P A G E 53
Recycle Yard Waste

C:N Ratio – How to Measure?

Start with equal parts

by volume

P A G E 54
Recycle Yard Waste
Do Not Compost
• Diseased Plants
• Plants with Seeds
• Meat
• Invasive Weeds
• Oily Food Scraps
• Dog/ Cat Manure

P A G E 55
Constructing A Compost Pile

1) Place coarse materials in bottom of pile

2) Add 4” to 6” layer of leaves
3) Add high nitrogen source ( grass clippings
or manure)
4) Water the pile after each layer
5) Continue steps 2, 3 & 4 until bin is full

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Recycle Yard Waste
A new compost pile will be built in the center unit of a three-
pallet bin system.

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Recycle Yard Waste
The first step is to add a bed of twigs and small branches to
promote air circulation.

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 Recycle Yard Waste
A layer of “browns” is added. Watering between layers ensures that
moisture is evenly distributed.

P A G E 59
Recycle Yard Waste

Next, a layer of fresh “greens” is added.

P A G E 60
Recycle Yard Waste
Add and water another layer of browns.

P A G E 61
Recycle Yard Waste
Fresh greens come from flower pruning.

P A G E 62
Recycle Yard Waste
The browns spent the fall and winter in the adjacent bin.

P A G E 63
 Recycle Yard Waste
The next layer of greens is also from prunings.

P A G E 64
 Recycle Yard Waste
A fourth layer of browns is added. The layering process will resume when
more greens are available.

P A G E 65
 Recycle Yard Waste
Finished compost can be improved by sifting through a screen to
remove oversized pieces.

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Recycle Yard Waste
An inclined screen uses gravity for some of the sifting effort.

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Recycle Yard Waste
The screen is loaded with compost.

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Use a square shovel to scrape the compost against screen.

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 Recycle Yard Waste
The screen is removed to reveal the sifted compost. The rejects will be
added to a fresh pile.

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Recycle Yard Waste

Choice in Composting Bins

• Home made
– Snow Fencing, Pallets,Wire, Wood
Slats, Concrete Blocks, Etc.
• Store Bought
– Metal and Plastic Bins and Drums

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Recycle Yard Waste

Wire Bin
Eleven-foot
length of 2” x 4”
x 36” welded,
medium-gauge
fence wire.

P A G E 72
Recycle Yard Waste
Wooden Pallet Bin

P A G E 73
Recycle Yard Waste
Wooden Pallet Three Bin

P A G E 74
 Recycle Yard Waste
Fasten Pallets With Old Coat Hangers

P A G E 75
Recycle Yard Waste
Wooden Pallets & Snow Fencing

P A G E 76
Recycle Yard Waste
Purchased Bins

P A G E 77
 Compost Trouble Shooting

Symptom Problem Solution

Compost has a bad Too much nitrogen or Add high carbon

odor not enough air material and turn pile
Center of pile is dry Not enough water Moisten and turn pile

Pile is damp and warm Pile is too small Collect more material
only in middle and mix into a new pile

Pile is damp but will Lack of nitrogen Mix in nitrogen source

still not heat up like grass clippings

P A G E 78
Recycle Yard Waste

Uses of Compost
• Soil Amendment
• Potting Mix
• Lawn Establishment/renovation
• Mulch

P A G E 79
Recycle Yard Waste

Benefits of Using Compost

• Improves water-holding capacity of soil
• Improves soil structure
• Prevents soil crusting aiding seedling
emergence
• Provides a food source for soil organisms
• Increases the fertilizer-holding ability of soil

P A G E 80
COMPOST HAPPENS!
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Minimize Waste to
Minimize Work

Questions?