Composting in Coral Gables
Home composting is allowed in Coral Gables as long as it is a closed-bin system located in the backyard.
Benefits of Composting
- It improves soil, which helps plants grow better.
- Reduces need for chemical fertilizer.
- Helps soil maintain moisture, meaning less time and money spent on watering plants.
- Reduce your carbon footprint
- Reduction in methane emissions from landfills because food waste releases methane.
- Helps balance the pH of soil.
- The less waste you have the less energy and fuel it will take to transport waste.
- Helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- Helps ward off pests.
- Helps prevent erosion because aids soils ability to retain water.
- Improves plant growth
Why compost?
- 16%-23% of waste is food waste
- Total US food waste is valued at $161.6 billion
- Organic waste makes up 25% to 50% of what people throw away
Where to compost?
- You can compost in your back yard, using a closed compost system
- Keep a small compost container in your kitchen and toss it in your compost bin several times a week.
How to compost?
- In order to have healthy compost it is important to more carbon than nitrogen.
- Carbon is referred to as brown matter
- Nitrogen is referred to as green matter.
What to compost?
COMPOSTABLE GREENS |
COMPOSTABLE BROWNS |
DO NOT COMPOST |
Fruit and vegetable scraps |
Shredded paper |
Dairy products |
Egg shells |
Grass clippings |
Bones |
Tea bags |
Leaves |
Animal meat |
Coffee grounds |
Newspaper |
Sick or infected plants |
Hair (human, dogs, cats, etc.) |
Toilet paper rolls |
Fish |
Paper coffee filters |
Wood shavings |
Grease and oil |
Old nut milks (almond, cashew, coconut) |
Printer paper |
Cooked foods |
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Cardboard (cut into small pieces) |
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Paper bags |
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Pencil shavings |
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Pizza boxes (cut up) |
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Composting Classes
- Click here for workshops/information on composting in Miami-Dade County
- Composting classes at Pinecrest Branch Library
Additional Resources
- Home Composting Tips from the EPA.
- Home Composting Information from CalRecycle
- Composting Information from Fairchild Botanical Gardens.