INLAND EMPIRE – Riverside County Department of Waste Resources is offering a free online self-paced Master Composter Certificate Program starting in 2023. Students are encouraged to build and practice maintaining their own compost pile that can be used for gardening, horticulture, and agriculture.

Composting is the natural process of recycling organic matter, such as leaves and food scraps, into fertilizer that can enrich soil and plants. The decomposed matter, which often ends up looking like fertile garden soil, is called compost.

Composting leftovers also helps reduce the amount of food waste dumped into landfills.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, more than 70 billion pounds of food waste finds its way to landfills every year. 

Riverside County Department of Waste Resources offers free programs and resources that educate on ways to divert waste away from the landfills.

During the composting class students will learn:

• various home composting options;
• biology involved with the different composting systems;
• compost benefits and uses;
• other methods of reducing yard waste;
• hands-on experience with composting and vermicomposting;
• how to troubleshoot issues with compost and vermicompost;
• how to utilize finished compost and vermicompost in your garden.

The department says attendees from all educational backgrounds, age groups, and interests are welcome to join.

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Other free online courses available are Green Clean and Green Gardening, Green Landscaping and Vemicomposting. Classes are offered live throughout the year as well as on-demand which can be found in the “Resource” section on the site.

For more information on the Master Composter Certificate Program visit https://www.rcwaste.org/classes