COMPOST!

At my workplace, a lot of people use a pod coffee maker.  Instead of throwing away the pods, I have asked  everyone to just throw them into a bowl so I can take them home.  One co-worker even brings hers in from home.  Thanks,  Renee!

What I do is remove the grounds from the pods and clean the containers.  The coffee grounds and tea leaves go into my compost bin and the containers will be used when I start my seeds soon.  The coffee maker punctures the bottom of the pod, so there is already a drainage hole.

Now before you all say  EWWW,  let me assure you,   COMPOSTING IS AWESOME!


You can prevent  13% yard waste,  12% food waste, and 34% paper waste from ending up in the landfill,  which is full by the way.  Most of Frederick County's garbage is sent out of state at a huge cost to us all.

  This is the bin in my back yard.  I have a wooden 3 bin system at the farm for my garden waste.  I save raked leaves and pine needles to add to the food waste we generate.  Only vegetable & fruit waste, along with egg shells go into my pile.  No meat, dairy, bones or fat.  Never add cat or dog waste, but horse manure is fine.  I add shredded newspaper if the pile is too soggy, or starts to smell.



Add water when it is dry, turn with a pitchfork every now and then and you have a wonderful product to add to your garden or spread on your lawn.

Compost adds nutrients and microorganisms to your soil.  It improves soil tilth (that means the soil is nice and loose for seeds to germinate), and water-holding capacity.


You can compost leaves, grass clippings, untreated sawdust, sod, hay, straw, weeds, chopped corn stalks and cobs, shredded newspaper, cardboard, hedge clippings, dead flowers, coffee grounds with the filters.


Along with no meat, fat and dairy,  I also avoid glossy paper (newspaper inserts, magazines and the plastic windows in envelopes.)   All that goes into the recycle bin.


Speaking of starting seeds,  My wonderful husband Michael is going to help me build a shelf system with hanging lights.  I learned last year that a sunny southern window is not enough light for seedlings.

We are heading to Lowe's right now!