The Riverside County Department of Waste Resources will host a free backyard composting class and Make Your Own Worm Bin workshop Saturday (7/7) in Moreno Valley.

Attend this “how-to” class to learn how to recycle organic resources such as yard trimmings, and fruit and vegetable waste into a dark, crumbly, sweet-smelling soil conditioner. Compost can be used to enrich the soil in gardens, lawns and house plants.  Instead of putting organic waste into the garbage to be hauled to the landfill, learn to compost.

The free “how-to” backyard composting class begins at 9 a.m. at Riverside County Department of Waste Resources, 14310 Frederick Street.  Composting is nature’s way of recycling. It’s a great way to turn waste into a beneficial soil amendment. In composting, organic material is mixed together in a pile or bin, where literally millions of tiny microbes digest the material and turn it into a nutrient-rich soil amendment.

The Vermicomposting Make Your Own Worm Bin workshop will begin at 10:30 following the compost class.
Low-cost compost bins, subsidized by the department, also will be available for purchase by Riverside County residents (limit three per household). County residents can purchase compost bins by cash or Visa/MasterCard (75-cent processing fee applies).

The Riverside County Department of Waste Resources provides this free workshop in an effort to divert waste and help preserve valuable space in the county sanitary landfill.

Learn a new way to compost your food waste into nutrient rich amendment for your garden. Put worms to work through a composting method called vermicomposting – the process of using worms and associated organisms to break down organic waste into material containing nutrients for plant growth. Volunteer master composters will teach county residents how to set up, build, care for and harvest castings and worms and have a hands-on Make Your Own Worm Bin workshop.

Adult county residents interested in the workshop can purchase a worm bin kit for $26 or bring their own supplies.  To see to a short list of class materials needed for the class visit http://www.rcwaste.org/vermicomposting. The materials will cost approximately $15. Tools for building a worm bin will be available for use at the workshop, along with enough worms to get your bin started. This workshop provides a good opportunity to participate in a hands-on class to explore vermicomposting and take home an inexpensive working worm bin.

The class and workshop are free and will end by 1 p.m. These programs are offered to increase the awareness of organic material recycling and how composting can help preserve valuable space in county landfills.

For more information, contact Riverside County Department of Waste Resources at (951) 486-3200 or visit: http://www.rcwaste.org/composting/how or send an email to WasteCompRecyc@rcwaste.org