Projects

Recycling, Composting & Solid Waste Education

OCCA has been involved with recycling, composting, and solid waste education efforts since OCCA's beginning in 1968. We work closely with the Otsego County Solid Waste and Planning Department to complement their efforts and amplify the information about proper waste disposal in Otsego County. Check out their website for more information on recycing, transfer station hours and much more.

Composting

Composting is a great way to reduce household trash while producing useful materials for your garden. It has the added benefit of being low-cost and easy to implement.

To produce good compost, your set-up will require a few things.

• Aeration: your compost needs to breathe. Mix to keep loosely tumbled (you can give a plastic bin a shake to accomplish this or toss compost with a pitchfork. 

• Moisture: not saturated, not dry, but moist.

• Heat: a relatively closed space will allow for heat to build up. This helps to speed up the decomposition rate and final compost material production.

• Green and Brown Materials: You should have a 50% mixture of items rich in either nitrogen (green: food waste, live yard scraps) or carbon (brown: leaf litter, sawdust, shredded paper) to keep a good balance for the final product. The layering of materials works best.