The Topanga Community Center (TCC) Compost Hub invites all interested Topangans to participate in an informal hands-on compost tutorial on Thursday, January 16, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Compost expert, Kenny Derieg, from LA Compost, leads the first Volunteer Day of the year, where compost participants can help tend, turn and learn how to evaluate the condition of the three compost bins. Join in and get the full inside scoop on the state of our compost and reap the wealth of knowledge that Derieg has to offer regarding the “do’s and don’ts” of composting and the analysis of where our kitchen waste contributions are in the compost cycle. This is a great time for kids to participate and get their questions answered. Derieg will be onsite for Volunteer Days at the Topanga Community Compost Hub on the third Thursday of every month. On February 8, a Saturday morning workshop will take place for those who are unable to make the time mid-week.
Successful composting requires a good balance of “greens” and “browns”, the greens being kitchen waste such as eggshells, vegetable cuttings, and fruit peels, and the brown being mulch. When there is too much mulch, there is too much carbon for the bin to reach the healthy balance required for the food scraps to be decomposed at high temperatures. Conversely, without enough mulch, the kitchen waste spoils and can become smelly.
Composting recycles nutrients from organic kitchen waste back into rich soil. When plants decay, microbes go to work, using oxygen and feeding on nutrients in the plant. Composting is a process that works to speed up the natural decay of organic material by providing the ideal conditions for detritus-eating organisms to thrive. The composting cycle begins and ends with the formation of fertile soil that, when added to garden and landscapes, replenishes the soil and adds nutrients.
Diverting organics from landfills is one of the most effective actions a household can undertake. Organics, estimated to be up to 40% of trash in most households, end up emitting methane gas, a major source of climate change.
The Community Compost Hub is the result of a partnership of LA Compost (lacompost.org), the TCC and the Messenger Mountain News. TCC hosts the Hub and while it is open to all Topangans, TCC membership is encouraged. As an incentive, there remains a limited number of “Topanga Gold” compost buckets available for composters who become TCC members.
For history and information on the Compost Hub, visit M’Online and search for “Topanga Gold” (messengermountainnews.com/news/Topanga-gold). For details about membership with TCC and to sign up: topangacommunitycenter.com. For more information or to receive the Topanga Gold newsletter: hello@messengermountainnews.com.