Master Composter Program

About the Course

Master Composters classes are designed to turn novice and experienced composters into effective instructors and advocates for composting. The program typically includes 16-24 hours of class time during which the students learn the basics of the carbon cycle, how to build a great compost pile, managing the annual process of composting and much more. The course includes a session during which the class builds and monitors a compost pile. Each graduate is responsible to build and document the results of a pile that becomes thermally active. Finally there is a public service requirement for the students to contribute and document at least twenty hours of teaching composting to the community.

Kansas City Master Composters Project

The Master Composter Program is a way to educate motivated citizens who then provide help to schools and the community in reducing yard waste in landfills. Our program was started through a grant from the Mid-America Regional Council Solid Waste Management District. We hired Larry Wilhelm of Ranger,Texas to be our lead instructor. We had two sessions: the first in early October ‘98 and the second in mid-February 1999.

Master Composter Instructor Larry Wilhelm, opened our class on October 8th. Larry had just won the EPA Region IV Environmental Educator of the Year award for the State of Texas. He's pioneered adult and student compost programs throughout Texas and the South. Larry makes composting class exciting.

The four ingredients for composting are:
Moisture, Mass, Material, and Air.

Moisture throughout the pile is critical.

When siting your pile, shade can be a good thing as it helps retain moisture. The heat in compost comes from inside the pile, solar heat isn't part of the process. A pile in sunshine should be large and well watered to maintain a high humidity inside.

Mix Greens and Browns.
Add Water.

Here Carel, on the right, and Kathleen build the layers of the pile. We're using partially decomposed leaves from a mulch pile as our “browns”. Grass clippings and fresh moist weeds are our greens. Carel spreads the greens around to create a six-inch layer. Kathleen makes sure all the pile gets wet.

Lots of ways to make compost...

Here Larry adds cottonseed meal, a high protein food supplement for animals, to the pile.

Usually in the fall the grass is long gone and it's too dry! To correct these conditions, just add water and cottonseed meal to your leaves.

You can’t have too much water at this stage. If all the areas of the pile get wet, they can later absorb moisture and become moist enough to start composting.

Water...Water...Water!!!

Later, this pile would get up to 122 degrees.

Our Fall class of graduating Master Composters will spread the word throughout the community. Each graduate provided 20 hours of lessons to the public.

On to the second compost workshop . . .

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