Workshop to Focus on Backyard Composting

Environmentally conscious area residents can learn about backyard composting at a free workshop Saturday in Encino.

Sponsored by the city of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation, the workshop aims to teach residents the process of turning yard trimmings along with fruit and vegetable waste into a nutrient-rich amendment that improves the condition of the soil, said Enrique Teves of the city’s public affairs office in the Department of Public Works.

“Basically, we tell people what they can use as compost and what they cannot,” Teves said. “For example, kitchen scrap and yard trimmings are OK, but meat, bones and fatty foods such as cheese, salad dressing and cooking oil are not because these will attract pests and slow down the composting process.”

Mulching and worm composting will also be discussed, Teves said.

The city developed the public workshop to accommodate requests from residents, especially those who generate more than the usual amount of yard trimmings and grass clippings, he said.

Compost bins, however, will not be sold at the workshops. Teves said Los Angeles-area residents, with proof of residency such as a driver’s license or California identification, can purchase compost bins--which cost $20 to $43, depending on the model--every second Friday and fourth Saturday at the Griffith Park Composting Facility, 5400 Griffith Park Drive.

The workshop will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Sepulveda Garden Center, 16633 Magnolia Blvd. A second workshop will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. Dec. 13 at the Sunland Recreation Center, 8651 Foothill Blvd.

For more information, call (800) 773-CITY or (213) 893-8251.