Neighborhood Watch: Compost

Composting is the Way to Go
Burbank Leader: September 1, 2009 by Robert Rush

Anyone who planted tomatoes this year found it to be one of the best years ever. But I made a discovery that was really something.

When we had the drought two or three years ago, when Burbank got almost no rain, I let the grass in my backyard die because I would have had to flood the backyard daily to save it.

Dead grass is like a brown carpet. You walk on it and your feet don’t get dirty. I left it that way for a couple of years.

This year, I decided to take the dead grass out and try a garden with more than just tomatoes. I have been growing only tomatoes for the last 20 years or so. I have been composting for just as long.

The Burbank Recycle Center gives composters to residents. I found out that the soil under my grass was completely depleted of any nutrients. No wonder I had to put so much water on it during summer months. My soil could not hold water longer than a few hours.

Story continues below ↓

This was a great year, compost or not. But for me, the name of the game is homemade compost. Give it a try — it’s magic, and it’s organic. READ MORE !

The City of LA free mulch give-away program

Bring your own shovel, bag or pick-up.
Load up your own containers and take as much as you need
IT’S FREE & IT’S MADE FROM YARD TRIMMINGS!

Available Locations:
Lake View Terrace -11950 Lopez Canyon Rd.
(near Sylmar)
Everyday 7:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Sheldon-Arleta - 12455 Wicks St.
(near Sun Valley)
Everyday 7:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.
West Valley - 16600 Roscoe Pl.
(near North Hills)
Everyday 7:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M.
Donald C. Tillman - 15800 Victory Blvd.
(near Van Nuys - S. of Densmore)
Mon-Fri 7:00 A.M. - 4:30 P.M., Sat 8:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.
West L.A. - 6000 W Jefferson Blvd.
Everyday 7:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.
East L.A. - 2649 E Washington Blvd.
Fri-Sun 9:00 A.M. - 3:00 P.M.
Elysian Valley - 3000 Gilroy St.
Everyday 7:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.
San Pedro - 1400 N Gaffey St.
Everyday 7:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.
N. Mission Rd. - 850 N Mission Rd. Los Angeles
Scheduled to open soon.

Call James Kurz: (818) 834-5128
City of Los Angeles. Bureau of Sanitation

Findacomposter:
a service of BioCycle magazine. You can use this searchable data base to locate a composting facility in your area. Choose a state or province in the magnifying glass, or click on Facility Search to search by any of the fields in the data base.