The Penn State Cooperative Extension Service, in a partnership with the Department of Environmental Protection, has scheduled dozens of backyard composting education programs across the state this spring.

The goal of the backyard composting program is to promote the recycling and reuse of yard trimmings, leaves, grass, kitchen scraps and other organic materials.

County Extension agents and Master Gardener volunteers teach participants in “tricks of the trade” to operating successful backyard composting sites.

Participants in the workshops receive a free composting bin (1 bin per household). To date this program has offered nearly 600 workshops in 64 counties and over 20,000 composting bins have been distributed.

3/9/2007