Boulder County, Colo. – The Boulder County Resource Conservation Division is offering free Backyard Composting Workshops, one each in Longmont, Lafayette, and Boulder.

Space is limited to 30 people per workshop. Interested people may register online at www.BoulderCountyRecycles.org or RSVP with name, phone number and/or email, and number of attendees to Susan Meissner at smeissner@bouldercounty.org or 720-564-2226.

Workshop schedule

Longmont
Thursday, April 7, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Boulder County Parks & Open Space, Prairie Room
5201 St. Vrain Road

Lafayette
Saturday, April 9, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Lafayette Public Library, Downstairs Meeting Room
775 W. Baseline Road

Boulder
Saturday, April 16, 10 a.m.-noon
Boulder County Recycling Center, Education Room
1901 63rd St.

In addition to utilizing the new curbside compost bins, residents are encouraged to compost food scraps and yard waste at home. Keeping organics in backyards is an effective way to reduce household carbon footprints and provide quality compost for use in gardens.

When organic materials such as food waste and leaves are sent to the landfill they are buried along with the trash and they break down in a way that produces methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Composting does not create methane; it is a natural decomposition process that changes the food and yard waste into a beneficial soil amendment.