Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • October 27, 2010 Glen Rock Composting seminar draws two dozen spectators by John Koster About two dozen residents of Northwest Bergen County attended a recent composting seminar at the Glen Rock Arboretum. Daphne Boss Ayalon offered solid tips and surprising insights into turning waste from the house, yard, and garden into topsoil. Ayalon, who works with the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Division of Bergen County, estimated that she keeps 70 percent of her household waste out of the expensive municipal waste stream thought composting, while producing valuable topsoil for gardens that she would otherwise have to purchase. She said the key to composting is to recognize the proper mixture of “brown matter” and “green matter.” Brown matter includes fallen leaves (but not those affected by diseases), brown paper bags and cardboard boxes cut into small pieces, corn cobs, and newsprint. Most forms of scrap paper, other than white paper, can be added to compost, but white paper cannot be composted because it has been treated with chlorine. “Green matter” includes grass clippings, vegetable and fruit peels, and cut flowers discarded from the household, unless the flowers or stems show signs of blight. Plastic bags, meat, and cheese cannot be added to the compost pile, because flesh or dairy products attract flies and mammal scavengers. Animal feces should also be left out of the compost pile. Ayalon cautioned against including weeds with seeds on them, or invasive plants such as ivy, ferns, and wild grape in the composting area. The compost may be stored in a hole in the ground, a commercial composter, or a home-made bin. Blood meal or commercial composting agents are not necessary, she said, because the mixture of brown matter and green matter will generate the same sort of activity. Salt hay, she said, is virtual compost medicine and should be added if the heap begins to generate an unpleasant odor. Ayalon recommends a mixture of 30 parts of brown matter, mostly carbon, to one part of green matter, mostly nitrogen. Too much carbon would render the compost heap inert, and too much nitrogen would produce an odor of ammonia. A good compost heap, she said, should be “hot,” which would indicate that a chemical action is turning the leaves, shredded paper, and cut grass into topsoil. Composting saves money for residents and for communities, which save on haul- Glen Rock’s Carol Thielke and Daphne Boss Ayala at the Glen Rock Arboretum. age and tipping fees charged at commercial landfills. ����������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������� ������������������������� ������������������ ������������������ ����� ���������� � Hair Care Family ��������� ������ ��������� ������������ ����������������������������������� �������������� Mike O’Hagan and Mary Jane Surrago, both incumbent Republicans, will run uncontested for Glen Rock Council this year. A two-term councilman, O’Hagan is a graduate of Lehigh University and is active in recreation and youth programs. He has been the motivating force behind a number of safety measures, including the speed bumps on Glen Avenue and Doremus Avenue, and the traffic light at the intersection of Maple Avenue and Glen Avenue. He often speaks about the need for drivers to slow down and obey traffic signs and signals. He is active in recreational programs for youngsters. Surrago, who is now completing her first term on the council, holds a degree Election to be uncontested in accounting from Queens College. She is a certified emergency medical technician and has served as president of the Glen Rock Volunteer Ambulance Corps. She has been active in fostering job opportunities for people with vision loss. She joined Mayor John van Keuren in welcoming the visiting students from Onomachi, Japan earlier this year. Both council members have an extensive background in recreation and safety-related activities. The Glen Rock Council, once split 3-3 along party lines with a Republican mayor, will remain 5-1 in favor of the GOP, with Joan Orseck as the lone Democrat, following the November election. J. KOSTER ��������������������� ���������������������� ���������� HARDING WINE&SPIRIT Wow! 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