Things that are biodegradable are not considered to be recycled. So don’t mix up your garden waste, trees, food waste, leaves with recycled materials. Making a compost pile is the best way to get rid of biodegradable wastes. Instead of adding more stuff to the waste treatment plant or landfill, compost them in your backyard.

Buy a small compost bucket and put on your kitchen counter and a large compost bin in your backyard. Although you probably can do just fine making a designated area in the backyard, but it’ll cleaner if you have a heavily wooded area with wild animals. They can definitely make a mess of your compost.

* Black walnut tree leaves or twigs
o Releases substances that might be harmful to plants
* Coal or charcoal ash
o Might contain substances harmful to plants
* Dairy products (e.g., butter, egg yolks, milk, sour cream, yogurt)
o Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and flies
* Diseased or insect-ridden plants
o Diseases or insects might survive and be transferred back to other plants
* Fats, grease, lard, or oils
o Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and flies
* Meat or fish bones and scraps
o Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and flies
* Pet wastes (e.g., dog or cat feces, soiled cat litter)
o Might contain parasites, bacteria, germs, pathogens, and viruses harmful to humans
* Yard trimmings treated with chemical pesticides
o Might kill beneficial composting organisms

Source: U.S. Environmental Agency

Source: U.S. Enviornmental

* Suppress plant diseases and pests.
* Reduce or eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers.
* Promote higher yields of agricultural crops.
* Facilitate reforestation, wetlands restoration, and habitat revitalization efforts by amending contaminated, compacted, and marginal soils.
* Cost-effectively remediate soils contaminated by hazardous waste.
* Remove solids, oil, grease, and heavy metals from stormwater runoff.
* Capture and destroy 99.6 percent of industrial volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) in contaminated air.
* Provide cost savings of at least 50 percent over conventional soil, water, and air pollution remediation technologies, where applicable.

Source: http://www.epa.gov/

Natural composting, or biological decomposition, began with the first plants on earth and has been going on ever since. As vegetation falls to the ground, it slowly decays, providing minerals and nutrients needed for plants, animals, and microorganisms. Mature compost, however, includes the production of high temperatures to destroy pathogens and weed seeds that natural decomposition does not destroy.

Source: http://www.epa.gov/