A compost pile offers several advantages. It is nutrient-rich because of the large number of organic components. It may be used in soil for organic farming, your dream homesteading side-hustles or projects, landscaping, horticulture, and small-scale organic vegetable gardens, among other things, as a natural insecticide, soil conditioner, and fertilizer.
Where Can I Free Compost Near Me?
Best Websites to Get Free Compost
Compost is available for free from the following online locations.
1. Facebook Marketplace
Look for posts in your region by using relevant keywords like "free compost" or "compost giveaway." This is the first step in finding free compost on Facebook Marketplace. Use Facebook Marketplace's message option to get in touch with the seller of the compost once you've found a listing that meets your needs.
2. Craigslist
You can find practically anything using Craigslist and other online ad sites. There could be a local worm seller in your area that offers free earthworm castings.
Here's how you use Craigslist to locate free compost:
- Visit the free Craigslist section in your location.
- Locate the "For Sale" area.
- In this area, select "Free."
- Type "compost" into the search field.
Afterward, advertising for nearby individuals offering free compost will appear.
Keep an eye out for neighbourhood initiatives.
3. Google
Google provides free compost by looking through several regional websites. By looking, you can find compost for free. Search with:
"Free compost pickup (name of your city)"
Try those searches:
Free compost pickup in Portland
Free compost pickup in Vancouver
Free compost pickup in New Jersey
When you type in the name of your city into Google, a number of websites will appear from which you may choose the best fit.
"Free compost giveaway (name of your city)"
Try:
Free compost giveaway Portland
Free compost giveaway Vancouver
Free compost giveaway New Jersey
Numerous websites use lucky draws to award complimentary giveaways to select customers. Additionally, free compost is available through various contests.
"Free compost center (name of your city)"
Try:
Free compost center Portland
Free compost center Vancouver
Free compost center New Jersey
Compost centers are located all over the place, and individuals may acquire free compost from them.
4. Freecycle
You should visit the website if you are unfamiliar with Freecycle. People may give things away and acquire things for free on Freecycle. Look over the website; you might be able to get free compost there.
5. OfferUp
OfferUp is a website where local items can be bought and sold. There is also a giveaways area on the website. Mulch had been given away by several users on the site.
6. CompostNow
A company called CompostNow offers a handy service that gathers food waste from your house and turns it into compost. After you join up, they bring a clean container to your door for you to fill with all of your food waste and pizza boxes, among other things. On scheduled service days, CompostNow swaps out your dirty bin with a new one. The firm keeps track of your compost production and trash reduction.
Where to get free compost material?
Alternative locations to get free compost
7. Composting at home
One of the greatest methods to decrease total food waste and even benefit the environment is to compost at home using kitchen scraps, newspaper, and other biodegradable items you have on hand.
8. Ask Local Landscaping Companies
The majority of the garbage produced by their company is organic and can be composted. Regretfully, the majority of landscaping businesses dump this garbage in landfills. Numerous communities have initiatives in place to gather landscaping debris and compost it.
9. Ask friends and family
A communal garden in your neighbourhood most likely already composts. Ask your local group what the prerequisites are.
10. Gather up fall leaves
Fall is one of the finest times to collect free items for your compost pile. There are loads of leaves on the ground in the fall, ready to be picked up. Gather as many leaves as you can every fall, since you may preserve the extras for use all winter long.
11. Local Coffeehouses
Eggshells and coffee grounds are great additions to a compost pile, and most coffee shops will happily give them away at no cost.
12. Contact Local Restaurants
Investigate nearby restaurants and cafes for possible biodegradable material sources. These places frequently throw out food scraps that you may use in your composter, such as coffee grounds and vegetable peels.
13. Farms
Anyone who wants to benefit from this rich, organic fertilizer can visit the farm. Various materials are used to make the compost, such as leaves, food leftovers, and manure.
14. Local grocery stores
Ask the management of the grocery store or a suitable employee about their procedures for disposing of rubbish. Find out if they have any extra organic materials, such as vegetable and fruit waste, or any other biodegradable stuff you might gather.
Happy gardening and composting!
Need more free resources for your projects?
Checkout our guides about where to get balloons filled with helium for cheap, or where to get free air for tires near you, and where to make copies near you for cheap (or free!).
FAQs
What is compost used for?
By composting, you may improve the soil in your yard and cut down on household trash. Whether you live in a suburb or the country, as long as you have a yard, you can compost.
Benefits of Using Compost
Composting allows you to replenish the soil with nutrients and organic materials in a way that plants can easily utilize. By contributing vital nutrients to any soil, breaking up heavy clay soils into a better texture, and enhancing sandy soils' ability to store water and nutrients, organic matter promotes plant development.
What can you use instead of compost?
Alternative waste management methods for composting include:
worm farming, vermicomposting, landfilling, incineration, and the production of bioenergy. Every approach has benefits and downsides, and the selection process is influenced by things like the waste type to be managed, environmental concerns, and the state of the local infrastructure.
Can I use topsoil instead of compost?
Topsoil is far better at retaining its structure and moisture than compost. Topsoil can be used to add bulk to raised beds, flowerbeds, or garden beds, but if you're only creating a small area or raised bed, compost is preferred.
Can you grow in just compost?
You may plant directly in compost, but if you want to use it for container plantings, it's best to combine it with additional fertilizers or incorporate it into your sandy garden soil.
What can I put into a compost pile?
Compostable materials include grass trimmings, teabags, plant prunings, fruit scraps, and vegetable peelings. These decompose quickly and supply essential moisture and nitrogen. Adding items like crumpled paper, cardboard egg cartons, and scattered leaves is also an excellent idea.
What can you not compost at home?
Meat and dairy products, fats, oils, grease, diseased plants, pet waste, coal or charcoal ash, treated wood or sawdust, plastics and synthetic materials, and weeds with mature seeds are among the materials that shouldn't be composted at home. You can keep your compost pile healthy and create compost that is rich in nutrients for your garden by avoiding these things.
