Composting in Lakes Region
 

I started composting with a 2 bin system this year. Even in December my piles are cooking at 120 degrees. Saving 2-3 buckets of organic food waste from ending up in the trash. And its been fun setup. I made a how to video and some biology and chemistry of the compost here.
https://static.wixstatic.com/media/c...b9c72~mv2.webp

I have been composting for years. Since the neighbors landscapers were placing grass cuttings on our lot. There are no bins, just piling on leaves, grass and scraps from the kitchen. Also put in the used coffee grounds as it is apparently a fairly good insecticide.. I do very little about turning it over.
The compost I dig out from under everything is heaven to the shrubs. They are really doing great and saving us money not buying fertilizer etc.

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I am a retired workaholic and continuing aquaholic.

Does composting kitchen waste entail any risk of attracting pests such as racoons, rodents, or even bears?

Yup...
 

I'm sure there's some sort of container or fencing or something you can use to keep them out, (gardening experts feel free to weigh in), but my elderly in-laws did it the el cheapo way with just a pile of leaves, food waste, etc, and they constantly had creatures, scavengers, neighborhood dogs, etc, in the pile. It was gross....

I've open composted for years and occasionally have a raccoon nose around and scavenge. I put no meat nor dairy products in and I spray the top-soil with an animal repellent. All my leaves, coffee grounds, potato peals, wilted lettuce, limp carrots, and lots of etc.

My neighbor's compost heap attracted rats, by the dozens. Nasty situation.

The only animal I have is the local rabbit plus an occasional bird.

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I am a retired workaholic and continuing aquaholic.

It's the Law
 

I have friends in VT that tell me "IT'S THE LAW" in VT. I was skeptical so I checked it out.



On July 1, everyone in Vermont is required to stop putting their food scraps in the trash.

This is the final step in a universal recycling law passed in 2012 to reduce the amount of waste going into our landfill. All food waste will need to be composted instead
https://www.wcax.com/content/news/Wh...571472111.html

July is here, and with it comes mandatory composting for all Vermonters. This hour: we’re talking about the new mandatory composting law that went into effect July 1st. We’ll check in with the department of environmental conservation, answer your questions about how to start composting, whether it's through a third party or in your backyard, and learn why composting is important to begin with.

https://www.vpr.org/post/composting-...p-ban#stream/0

Properly-maintained compost should reduce animal visits. Ensuring the compost is covered with “browns” will reduce smell, which is the main attractant for animals.

Vermont has provided some guidelines on how to reduce bear and other animal visits to a backyard pile: https://vtfishandwildlife.com/learn-...n-bear-country

Municipal composting is a great solution, but unfortunately, only about 10 localities in NH do it. I think Lebanon and Rochester are the two closest towns to Winnipesaukee that offer municipal composting solutions. Some of NH’s rules about municipal composting make it challenging to get permits. This is partly why we don’t see more of it in the state. When it is available, it is great because the breadth of materials that can be sent off is greater than what one can typically compost in a backyard.