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Composting & Natural Lawns
Benefits
You can reduce the amount of waste that goes in a landfill by 30% by composting yard waste and food scraps.
Composting is the biological decomposition of organic matter such as leaves, food scraps and twigs. The end result is a dark, crumbly matter that can enrich your lawn or garden. When mixed with soil, compost improves the physical properties of the soil, reduces erosion and supports plant life.
Always cover your compost pile with leaves. Add red wiggler worms to speed up the process.
Compost Troubleshooting
Problem | What's Happening | How To Fix It |
---|---|---|
Smells like garbage | Too wet, wrong food items included or not covered with browns | Mix in dry leaves or sawdust |
Pile is dry | Not enough water or too much woody material | Mix and moisten; chop materials into smaller pieces |
Pile is damp, but not composting | Lack of greens | Mix in greens or remove excess woody material |
Pile is | Outside of the pile is dry, but inside is most likely composted | Use non-decomposed material in a new pile |
NATURAL LAWNS
Here are some ways you can keep your lawn healthy and productive:
- Free Fertilizer: Leaving your grass clippings on your lawn after mowing will help your yard become healthier and saves you the time of raking them up. When grass clippings decompose on the lawn, organic matter is added to the soil.
- Aerate your lawn if water won't permeate.
- Over watering can promote lawn diseases and can leach nutrients from the soil.
- Water about 1 inch per week during warm seasons. Watering slowly, but deeply moisturizes the root zone. Using compost and mulch helps retain the moisture.
- Don't water during the heat of the day.
- Remove weeds by hand - think twice about using herbicides and pesticides.
- For every 8 cubic feet of clay soil, use a 1 inch layer of compost to improve the soil. Mend the entire area, not just small portions.
- Use cardboard or newspapers under mulch so it can decompose and feed the soil.
- Most lawns only need 1 inch of water per week to stay green during the summer.
- Toads, lady bugs, praying mantises and other insect-eating creatures can aid in controlling unwanted pests. For instance, centipedes feed on slugs and other insect pests.
XERISCAPING YOUR LAWN
Xeriscaping is the practice of designing your lawn and garden to adhere to the natural landscape of the region, and to conserve natural resources.
- Group plants according to their water needs
- Leave a buffer of vegetation along water bodies to filter pollutants
- Plant shrubs on areas with high water runoff-prevent erosion
- Use compost to prevent erosion and add nutrients to the area
- Using drip and soaker hoses - Apply water directly to the soil which minimizes evaporation and runoff
CONTACTS
Physical Address
475 Fairforest Way
Greenville, SC 29607
Phone: 864-232-CARE (2273)
Exception Service
Request Form (PDF)
RECYCLING DROP-OFF SITES
Open 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily
- Stone Avenue Recycling Center
800 E Stone Avenue
Greenville, SC 29601 - Greenville Recycling
514 Rutherford Road
Greenville, SC 29609
Services Outside the City
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Our services are for City of Greenville Solid Waste Customers only. For those located outside of our service area, please contact your waste hauler to inquire as to their services. Other possible service providers are as follows:
- City of Fountain Inn
864-409-3334 - City of Greer
864-848-2184 - City of Mauldin
864-289-8904 - City of Simpsonville
864-967-9531 - City of Travelers Rest
864-834-9020 - Greater Greenville Sanitation Service District Area
- Greenville County Solid Waste Division
- Guide to County Recycling Programs
- City of Fountain Inn