Compost - Backyard/Finished

Minnesota law prohibits mixing yard waste (garden wastes, leaves, lawn cuttings, weeds, shrub and tree waste, and prunings) with your garbage (Minnesota Statutes § 115A.931). Composting and grasscycling (leaving your grass clippings on the lawn) are two ways that you can use these valuable natural resources to improve your yard while reducing waste.

Composting is a natural process that recycles plant materials. Over time, tiny micro-organisms break down dead and decaying grass, leaves, twigs and garden waste.

The microbes break this “waste” down into a dark brown, crumbly compost that is rich in nutrients. Compost helps sandy soils (like those in the Anoka sand plain) hold water and nutrients that would otherwise drain through the soil. Because it can improve your soil and help you grow healthier plants, many gardeners call it “black gold".

Benefits of composting (indoors or outdoors) include:

Reduces food waste and yard waste.
Produces valuable compost.
Convenient and easy to do.
Saves time hauling your leaves and grass clippings to the curb or the compost sites.

Another resource for composting information is the Anoka County Extension Service or call 763-755-1280.