Troubleshooting Your Backyard Bin
| Symptoms | Causes | Solutions |
|---|---|---|
| Pile not composting | Too dry | Add water until slightly damp. Turn pile. |
| Too much brown material | Add fresh green material or herbivore manures and fruit and vegetable trimmings. Turn pile. | |
| Pile smells rotten and/or attracts flies | Too wet and/or too many food scraps or lawn clippings | Turn and add browns or dry soil. |
| Food scraps exposed | Bury and mix food scraps into pile. | |
| Non-compostables in pile | Remove meat, dairy products, grease, etc. and turn. | |
| Rodents in pile | Food scraps in open bin or bin with holes larger than 1/4 inch, and/or non-compostables in pile | Make sure the bin is rodent-proof, set traps, remove meat and other non-compostables, and turn pile. |