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Natural Gardening Information
A healthy lawn and garden is the best way to combat weeds, diseases and pests in your yard. Relying too much on fertilizers and pesticides may be a symptom of an underlying problem in your lawn and garden and can make problems worse. To learn more about Natural Gardening download our free handout Pull, Don't Poison” or click on this link for more in depth information about Natural Yard Care, building healthy soil and “good” and “bad” bugs.
Natural Yard Care - Five steps to make your piece of the planet a healthier place to live.
Composting
Composting is recycling! Composting is the natural process that decomposes yard waste and food waste to make a brown, crumbly soil additive that enhances the health of your lawn and gardens. Adding finished compost to soil improves soil texture, helps soil retain moisture, reduces run-off, and naturally increases nutrient content to help sustain healthy plants. Healthier plants are more resistant to pests and disease.
Diverting organic waste from Yakima County Landfills for composting conserves precious landfill space, and reduces production of methane from waste decomposition in the landfill after the landfill closes. Anaerobic (oxygen free) decomposition of organic waste such as food waste and yard waste in landfills is the #1 producer of methane gas in the United States. When not controlled and simply vented to the atmosphere, methane gas is the most potent of all the greenhouse gases contributing twenty-five times as much to climate change as carbon dioxide. Home composting also saves the energy used to run waste collection trucks, saves water in the garden, and reduces the need for pesticides and fertilizers - all of which save money - and the environment wins as well.
For more information on backyard composting contact the Solid Waste Division at 574-2450.
Worm Composting
Worms are the ultimate recyclers! They turn your spoiled fruit and vegetables, junk mail and used coffee grounds into fertilizer for your garden.
Vermiculture, or worm composting, allows you to compost your food waste faster than you ever imagined, while producing the highest quality compost and fertilizing liquid. Best of all, it's self-contained and nearly odorless! Worm composting utilizes a special type of worm, called a “red wiggler” because they are very voracious eaters, and eat their weight in food every day. Information on how to build a worm bin, care and feeding of your worms and how to use worm compost as fertilizer are covered in the publication below.
Yard and Wood Recycling at Yakima County Landfills
Did you know that 30% of all garbage disposed of at our County's Landfills is yard and wood waste?
Did you know that you can play an important role in reducing the amount of yard waste that the county must dispose of and save money too?
The Solid Waste Division of Yakima County Public Works Department has a yard and wood waste diversion program. You can now bring your clean yard and wood waste to the Yakima County landfills, at a reduced fee, to be processed through our grinder for reuse as compost.
More Information
- Yard and Wood Waste Brochure (420 KB)
Chipped Yard Waste Material is available FREE for use as feedstock for composting. The Chipped Yard Waste is made of leaves, grass clippings and branches that have been brought in my other customers or through City yard waste collection programs. To pick up a load of free chipped yard waste, go to Terrace Heights landfill.
EnviroTip Videos
These EnviroTip videos will provide you with information about greening various aspects of your home life. The EnviroTip Series is provided by www.earth911.org.
Keep it Separate! Don't Contaminate!
Success of the yard waste program depends on public cooperation in providing yard and wood waste that is not contaminated. Please no plastic bags, pop cans, metals, hoses or garbage of any kind.
What we want from you:
- Leaves
- Grass Clippings
- Wooden Bins
- Wooden Boxes
- Pallets
- Brush
- Branches (not bigger than 12” in diameter)
- Vegetation
- Sawmill Residuals
- Clean Wood
- Mill Ends
Yard and wood waste brought to the landfill in plastic bags will be charged the full garbage rate and will go into the landfill. Wood waste or stumps over 12 " in diameter are too large for our yard/wood waste diversion program and will be charged at garbage rate. For more information, download our Recycling Yard Waste brochure or call our office at 574-2450.