Continue with Microsoft TeamsRead About Composting
Vocabulary
Read the vocabulary terms to understand the reading better.
Bacteria are microscopic creatures that can found in all natural environments.
Composting is the process of recycling decomposed (broken down) natural waste.
To decompose means to break down or be broken down, usually by living-things.
Natural waste is organic, biodegradable waste that comes from plants or animals.
Soil is a mixture of minerals and organisms that cover most of the earth’s surface and is where plants grow.
Organisms are living things that can grow, use nutrients, and produce young.
Composting
Reduce, reuse, and recycle by composting!
Composting is the process of recycling decomposed (broken down) natural waste. Natural waste includes things such as leaves, or fruit and vegetable scraps. Over time, the natural waste will decompose into a rich soil called compost. Compost can be spread into flowerbeds, dug into vegetable gardens, spread under trees and bushes, or sprinkled on the lawn. Compost can be used anywhere that you want to give a boost of nutrients to the soil.
Good places to set up a compost bin are any place near a garden, and close to a source of water. This way you can easily add to the compost and keep it moist. A workforce of bacteria, earthworms, and other organisms, work to break down the natural waste. This workforce needs air and water to live and work.
Look at the table to see what can and cannot go into a compost bin.
Examples of what you can | Examples of what you cannot |
• leaves• grass• small garden clippings• pine needles• wood ash• bark• nutshells• fruit and vegetable peels or seeds• coffee grounds, including the paper filter• tea bags• sawdust | • meat• fish• bones• dairy products• vegetable oils• fats• human or pet waste• charcoal ash• plastic• glass containers• aluminum foil |
To learn more about composting, watch the video by SciShow Kids on Youtube.
