Composting

Composting promotes sustainable yards and gardens and prevents organic waste. The leaves and grass clippings which Montclair residents bag and drag to the curb (in paper leaf bags) are collected and hauled out of town to a large-scale facility, where they are transformed into compost – a valuable soil improver – which is sold to landscapers.  If you have space on your property, please consider composting in your own home.

It's Black Gold – Keep It Off the Curb

As part of our comprehensive municipal waste prevention program, the Township encourages homeowners to “keep it off the curb” by providing a beneficial yard care program that reduces yard waste, saves money, improves our properties, and even protects our climate.  Your compost is nicknamed “Black Gold” for a reason: it can become humus, a soil amendment which improves the structure, nutrient content, fertility, and the moisture-holding capability of garden soil, or mulch, a top dressing which prevents compaction, erosion and weeds. Both homemade miracle products are known by one name: compost.

Montclair’s Home Composting Program

Since 2001, Montclair has supported backyard composting through the township’s Home Composting Program.   Composting is also a climate change mitigation strategy. Decomposing food scraps with yard waste results in a rich, crumbly soil conditioner teeming with healthy microbial life. Using compost in and on your garden soil enhances its ability to draw down CO2 from the atmosphere – as a carbon sink – and return it to the earth for storage.

The Department of Sustainability provides written information to residents about how to successfully compost leaves, grass clippings, yard trimmings, garden prunings, and certain kitchen scraps.  The only additions from the kitchen are egg shells, fruit and vegetable scraps: no animal products (no meat, chicken, fish, bones, grease, fat, or dairy) can be composted at home.  For phone guidance, residents can also call our Compost Information Telephone Hotline, “The Rotline”, at (973) 509-5721, to receive answers to questions within 24 hours.

In addition to “how-to” information, any resident can purchase these affordable home composting supplies:

• The Earth Machine; a popular composting bin - $59.95; image shown below.
• Aerator (a tool for turning your compost) - $20.00
• Small indoor compost bucket (for transferring food waste to composter) - $7.00