Why Compost Yard Trimmings?
We live in a “throw away” society. It’s considered easy to get rid of things we regard as useless or unhealthy by wrapping it up and placing it in the garbage can.
Nationwide, yard materials account for nearly 20% of all garbage generated each year (Environmental Protection Agency).
Once this “useless” material is taken away to a landfill, it
really becomes useless. Enclosed in an oxygen-limited environment, garbage
degrades very slowly. Landfills must be monitored to make sure gases such
as methane do not build up inside, and to make sure underground water does
not become contaminated from landfill liquids. In addition, many landfills
are nearing their maximum capacity, and in the near future will need to be
closed.
This throw-away attitude is also prevalent with yard materials. Grass is cut, raked, bagged, and put out at the curb. Leaves are raked and bagged as well. Many times a special charge will be made to pick up yard materials. Nutrients present in the materials are removed from the yard. These materials must be taken to landscape composting facilities, where they are composted, screened, and possibly sold back to homeowners!
It’s very easy to turn this into a resource that can be reapplied to a yard. Composting, a biological process that decomposes organic material under aerobic (oxygen required) conditions, is becoming more popular to homeowners. Neighbors see neighbors composting leaves, grass, and some food materials, ask questions, and start making compost themselves. They like the idea of turning a “waste” into something that can be reapplied to the landscape.
Since 1990, landfills in Illinois cannot accept landscape waste. This means
communities have had to find alternative disposal methods. Many larger communities
have developed composting operations. 
These operations must be issued a permit
by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, and must submit yearly reports.
Much of the composted material is used in land reclamation, fill material,
and as daily or final landfill cover (used as a protective layer over garbage).
Medium and smaller communities (under 100,000 population) cannot economically
produce compost. These communities must rely on landscape or sanitation businesses
to provide services for pickup of yard materials and composting operations.
Other alternatives include paying producers to take the yard materials for
use on their farmland. Regardless of the size of community, it is a cost
that must ultimately be born by the taxpayer.
Composting Benefits
Composting yard materials has many landscape benefits. Nutrients that otherwise
are removed when trimmings are bagged can be placed back into the nutrient
cycle, lessening the need for fertilizers. When added to the soil, the nutrients present in compost
are released slowly, so they are less likely to leach out of the root zone,
as compared to regular fertilizer. Soil structure is improved by the addition
of organic matter. Structure is how individual soil particles combine. Organic
matter, such as that present in compost, aids in creating a structure that
allows good water retention and root penetration. This is accomplished by
the way organic matter attaches to soil particles.
As yard materials go through the composting process, there is an increase in temperature within the compost pile. High temperatures kill most disease pathogens present. Most weed seeds and pesticides are destroyed as well because of the high temperature.
Materials that may be acidic when added to a compost pile will become almost neutral in pH when the composting process is complete. Soils that are high or low in pH may make some nutrients less available for plant use, or may let plants take in too much. When added to soil that is acidic or alkaline, compost acts as a buffer against high or low pH.
Earthworms thrive in soil amended with compost. Tunnels created by earthworms increases drainage, and the casts they leave behind are a great nutrient supply for plants.
Composting Regulations
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency does not require a permit for
garden composting operations (Title 35 of the Illinois Administrative
Code, Standards for Compost Facilities). A garden compost operation
is defined as an operation that does not have over 25 cubic yards of yard
materials 
or
compost present at one time and is not engaged in commercial activity. Permits
for composting are also not needed if a landscape waste facility uses landscape
waste generated by the facility’s own activities
and are stored, treated, or disposed of within the site where the wastes
are generated. The term Landscape Waste, according to Illinois
Administrative Code, pertains to:
grass, clippings, shrubbery cuttings, leaves, tree limbs, and other materials accumulated as the result of care of lawns, shrubbery, vines and trees. Yard materials, yard trimmings, and landscape waste are terms that can be interchanged.
Applying compost at agronomic rates (20 tons per acre or less) does not require a permit either.
Commercial or larger facilities must either file a yearly report to IEPA or must be permitted to operate.
Individual communities in Illinois may have specific ordinances pertaining to backyard composting operations. Check with your municipal office to see if there are ordinances on home composting for your community.
Other Landscape Options
Some communities are promoting Beneficial Landscaping, also called natural landscaping or environmentally friendly landscaping, to reduce the need for disposing of yard materials. Some of the principles of this method include:
- Selecting native plants
- Relying less on turf areas and more on woodland or natural plantings
- Reducing pesticide use
- Reducing use of power equipment
- Enhancing wildlife habitat
- Discouraging use of invasive exotic plants
Using these principles along with others will help to equalize our needs with those of the environment.
