Getting Started with Composting

Whether you're an avid gardener or just want to reduce the waste you send to the landfill, we all have reasons to compost...

Waste Reduction

Over half of all waste occupying US landfills is organic matter. Most of this material can be composted in one way or another - and doing so preserves space in our landfills for items with no other alternative.
Climate Change

Organic matter that breaks down in an anaerobic environment, as is the case in most landfills, generates methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas up to 80 times more harmful than carbon dioxide, which makes landfills significant contributors to the climate crisis.
Soil Amendment

If you do garden, then composting is your ticket to free, high-quality, and natural fertilizer! Not only does compost provide essential plant nutrients, it also bolsters the soil ecosystem, which has been shown to grow hardier, more disease-resistant plants.

Methods of Composting

There are different ways to compost. Even if you don't have a backyard, there may be a method for you!

Backyard Composting

You don’t need a ton of space to be a successful backyard composter. You can get creative to fit your compost set-up into the space that you have — from a loose pile in the back corner of your yard to a multi-chambered, rotating container in the corner of your driveway. See the brochure below for more info.

Industrial / Commercial Composting

If you can’t or don’t want to compost at home, you can send your compost to a large-scale composting operation.

The City of Asheville Offers several free food scrap drop-off locations for residents. There are several local companies that offer weekly compost pickup service that makes dealing with food waste hassle-free.

Happy Scraps Composting offers a home compost check-up service, curbside pickup composting services, and event composting services.
CompostNow offers home, business, and event composting services as well as a hard-to-recycle add-on service.
Compost AVL offers curbside pickup composting services for those who live outside of Asheville’s city limits.

Vermicompost (Worms)

Done correctly, vermicompost systems hardly smell at all, and can be done indoors. This is a great option for folks who lack outdoor space. Please note: Only Red Wiggler worms can process food into a rich soil amendment Find Red Wigglers near Asheville.

More composting information can be found on the NC State Extension site linked below.

NC Extension