Want to start composting but not sure where to begin. Here are a few ways to get going. Your options are curbside service, dropping off your compost at a special facility, and backyard composting. Many areas in Boulder County offer curbside compost service where you put compostables in a bin and it is collected on a regular schedule just like your trash and recycling. Check with your waste hauler to see if composting is available in your area. You will be amazed by all the things that you can put into your curbside compost bin. Compost fruit and vegetable scraps, dairy, meat and bones, breads and grains, and leftovers of all kinds, even spoiled foods. You can also compost paper products like coffee filters with grounds, tea bags, napkins, paper towels, facial tissues, shredded paper and wet cardboard. Most yard waste can be put in the bin as well. Leaves, plant trimmings, weeds and grass clippings make fantastic compost feed stock. Specially designed compostable products can also go in the curbside bin. These are often in the form of to-go ware like plates, cups, clamshells and utensils. Look for the word compostable or the biodegradable products industry’s certification logo. If it isn’t labeled as compostable then it probably isn’t. Only items made from special plant based materials can be composted. Watch our compostable products video for details. Compostables collected curbside are taken to an industrial composting facility. Here the material is formed into windrows and carefully managed to maintain a moisture level, temperature and airflow right for the microorganisms that do the work turning your scraps into rich compost. These commercial mounds reach temperatures up to 160 degrees which is hot enough to kill any pathogen.Backyard composting in a bin is another way to save valuable organics from the landfill with the added bonus of creating compost for your garden or house plants. Don’t have a backyard, then worm composting is low maintenance and can be done inside your home. A backyard and worm bin can accept most of the same food scraps and paper products but they are a little more limited in what you can feed them. For instance, meat, dairy and service items like this cup are only compostable in industrial facilities. Your home bin won’t get hot enough to break down these things. Visit our website at www.bouldercountyrecycles.org for videos on proper composting techniques for our geographic area as well as guidelines on what can or can’t go in your worm bin. We also hold free workshops every year to make you into a composting pro. Choose the option best for you and get started. And remember, reduce, reuse, recycle and compost.