CONCORD ó Cabarrus County officials are suggesting that residents put their many fall leaves to better use this year.
“Don’t let this valuable resource sit at the curb or go up in smoke,” Aimee L. Hawkins, Cabarrus County’s communications and outreach manager, said in a press release.
The Cabarrus County Solid Waste Department is offering free backyard composting classes to help county residents manage yard waste and kitchen scraps responsibly and to use them to build healthier soil.
Hawkins said residents’ options for dealing with fall leaves vary by community. Many municipalities have leaf pickups. Residents in the unincorporated areas of the county have to take their leaves to the county’s landfill, or under some circumstances, they may be permitted to burn them.”Composting these leaves in your own backyard can give you a soil amendment which will provide nutrients to your lawn or garden,” Hawkins said in a press release.
The Solid Waste Department’s composting classes will teach residents how to enrich the red clay in their yards and garden with compost. The class also will teach residents how to compost properly to save time and energy and to keep odors and animals at bay.
“Burning should be a last resort because it is both a safety risk and health hazard,” Pete Pasterz, Cabarrus County waste reduction coordinator, said. “Airborne particulates from burning can trigger asthma and other respiratory diseases. Your children or elderly neighbors are especially susceptible.
“Compost is a wonderful natural fertilizer. It helps retain moisture and has even been shown to reduce the number of weeds in a garden. About one-third of household trash is compostable.”
Organic waste such as leaves that go into a landfill trigger the formation of methane, “which is more potent than carbon dioxide as a climate warming gas,” Pasterz said.
Cabarrus residents can participate in one of two classes offered during November. Classes will be held Nov. 15, a Saturday, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. and Nov. 20, a Thursday, from 6 to 8 p.m.
County officials are offering refreshments and door prizes as enticements. All participants will take home a wire compost bin and composting guide.
Space is limited. To reserve a spot, call Pasterz at 704-920-3280 or e-mail him at papasterz@cabarruscounty.us.