What are green and brown materials?
Your compost pile requires both carbon and nitrogen to work properly. Brown materials supply carbon. They include things like dry leaves, woodchips, sawdust (from untreated lumber), dried corn stalks, and dry grass. Green materials provide nitrogen. They include things like living plant material (fresh vegetable plants and flowers) and wet kitchen scraps such as vegetable peels and trimmings, banana skins, melon rinds, tea leaves and celery stalks. A great variety of things can be composted. For more information about building a balanced and efficient compost pile, please see our on-line materials guide.
