FULLERTON : Arboretum Offering Composting Classes

To reduce waste in landfills, the Fullerton Arboretum will teach people how to build compost piles for organic waste.

The first of three free classes will be held Saturday at the arboretum and is a “hands-on” guide to composting.

“We’ll actually go over and look at some (compost heaps) in progress and pull some stuff out of the bottom of them,” said Lorra Almstedt, director of the Friends of the Fullerton Arboretum.

A recent city study found that 30% of residential waste is “green waste”--lawn, plant and tree clippings that could be composted into a rich soil additive.

Instead, the green waste is going into landfills. The city’s trash hauler, MG Disposal Systems, and the city staff have joined together in the composting drive.

Orange County soil is either too sandy or too full of clay, Almstedt said. Organic compost helps sandy soil retain water and breaks up thick clay soil, she said.

Thirteen different composting techniques will be explained, Almstedt said, including composting with commercial bins, wire cages, wooden bins, cinder block structures, or simply old tires. “You don’t even really have to have a container,” she said.

But composting takes a little training. “If you don’t do it properly, it can start to smell,” she said.

The second class will be held on July 14 and the last on July 24. Fullerton residents who attend the classes will be able to buy composting bins from MG Disposal for $20.

The arboretum is at 1900 Associated Road. To register, call (714) 773-3579.