For some, compost makes the soil in the garden and the flower
beds richer and better able to handle the drought. For others,
it’s a miraculous way to make solid waste disappear and extend
the life of a landfill.

Regardless of your perspective, compost doesn’t just happen.
But a pair of University of Georgia events in early May can help
you make composting work for you.

Bioconversion Center Open
House

It all starts with the UGA Bioconversion Center’s open house
May 3 in Athens, Ga. From 8 a.m. until noon, visitors can see
exhibits on home composting, and on composting yard waste,
municipal solid waste, food waste, biosolids and equipment.
Composting equipment will also be demonstrated.

Visitors can talk to UGA scientists and other experts, too.
And the open house is free. The Bioconversion Center is on
Simonton Bridge Road near the end of South Milledge Avenue.

For those who need more, the center will follow the open
house with a compost facility operator training.

Compost Facility Operator
Training

From 1 p.m. May 3 until noon May 5, people in large-scale
government and commercial composting can learn the theory and
practice of large-facility design and operation.

The course will cover a range of topics. Among them are
microbiology, mathematics and computations, equipment choices,
product quality evaluation, regulation and compliance, odors and
nuisance control, end-user market development and state support
agencies’ role.

The training fee is $95. Enrollment will be limited to the
first 25 who register. Late registrants can be placed on a
waiting list for the next training.

To sign up, check with Cathy Felton at (706) 542-3086 or feltonc@bae.uga.edu).