What you do is save leaves in a large fenced bin so you have them next spring to mix with browns.

As for coffee, use USED coffee grounds. Talk to a coffee shop if you have one, if they are willing you can get all you can handle. Look up 'used coffee grounds' or 'starbucks' on this forum.

Coffee grounds are much more acidic fresh than after brewing (the acid goes into the brewed coffee). They will still compost, but coffee is $7-$12/lb where I live. I could buy the most premium compost available for way less than that. And coffee prices are heading upward steeply right now.

Any product like that has a certain amount of resources invested in it - with coffee, think of the labor to harvest, ship, roast, package. Plus fossil fuel. It's not very environmentally wise to turn all that into compost. That's why we use local waste materials instead - they often have a negative value to the person discarding them. For example the coffee shop has to pay to have their trash hauled off to the landfill, where it goes to waste. Literally.

So I don't buy ingredients. If I get desperate I buy good compost. :-]

In a word,MAYBE . I have paid fruit stand vendors and restraunt kitchen employees for scraps but it was in my mind a gratuity for the extra effort in saving it and calling me. In a large part,I compost as part of an effort to preserve our planet. Outright buying processed items doesn't seem to contribuit much to that idea. You are surounded by material and by the time replys to this thread are posted,you will hear of things you never considered. Just continue asking around and you will find someone willing to help you gather material.
Have you talked to local retirement home employees? The extra income would be welcome. Starbucks,privately owned super market,schools,farmer's market. If you have a local health food store,they understand what we are doing. If all else fails,,,,,gulp,,,,urine. I'm not sure you should ask your neighbors to save theirs but one household generates enough to supply a fair amount of nitrogen which is what greens contribute.

i go to starbucks every week and pick up several pounds at a time.
i go more often when i need more. i have walked out with 50lb before. thats a LOT of grounds.
New grounds would have a TON of caffeine and tannins which i would think would not be very good for your plants.
not to mention the amount of work and fuel it takes to make+ship the stuff. i would gag to see all that going into a bin.

my mulberry just produced more than i could use or give away, so i just dumped 5 gallons of berries in the bin.

Sometimes, when you look, it comes from no-where...

People have figured this out on http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/ and now post "I just cut down a tree, free composting materials."

If I had a yard ... and the 6 hp sears garden shredder of my youth ...

IMO it's always better to 'scrounge' compost ingredients rather than buying them. Less expensive and better for the environment. I've gotten produce trimmings at 2 local supermarkets, *used* coffee grounds at 2 coffee shops, and bagged leaves from the curb prior to bulk garbage collection day (I asked homeowners before taking - of course they thought I was insane so had to explain!). I also load my pick-up with free sawdust/shavings from a small local mill.

For several years I made 'custom mulch' for my garden in our cement mixer using my limited amounts of compost and sawdust/fine shavings. I added alfalfa tea (made with alfalfa pellets) and sometimes blood or seed meals, then let it sit and heat awhile. So I did buy alfalfa pellets, various seed meals, and blood meal which are good to 'kick-start' a too cool compost pile.

Buying 200 pounds of alfalfa pellets is not something I'd do to produce compost. I use less than 40 pounds a year as fertilizer. Might be better to mow/mulch those leaves and use them as straight mulch.

I had gotten a few buckets (half-full) of coffee grounds, in the past from a local Donut place. But once the owner was present when I came to collect, I wasn't sure if it would be free. He said he had a garden also. He didn't say he would'nt give them to me didn't say I could have them either. I just thought that I would back off. If I go back again, I would need to say, I'll pay so much per bucket etc. I have a friend that works where I worked about 8yrs ago, before my work history had to change. It was a nursing home kitchen (Dietary Dept) so all the veg and fruit skins went down the garbage disposal. I wasn't into gardening when I worked there. I will likely offer a buck a bucket to my friend who still works there. I save my families coffee grounds and veg scraps, but it isn't much.

Poaky the coffee shop manager's attitude and what the op said about people sending leaves to the landfill rather than allowing a neighbor recycle them reminds me of a couple of human nature stories of my own. I cut and baled 15 acres for 3 years that joins my property.
The owner was happy to let me since he would have to hire it mowed otherwise. When a developer bought the land I told him I would continue if he liked. After finding that I would get hay out of the deal,he said absolutly not and hired a mowing service. I volinteered my assistance helping a friend load 4 old water heaters from a dump site. There were a dozen or more heaters and he had room to haul more than his 4 so i commented that I would like to take a heater I was looking at. My interest in that piticular tank was it being suitable for a smoker build. My friend fixated on the tank and begain asking questions about why I wanted it and convined himself there was something special about it and said he was taking it. I wonder if those who refuse to give away things they have no use for donate money.

I've got to say that, unfortunately, many grocery stores won't give out old produce due to liability! If someone gets sick...lawsuit!!!!!
The mostly organic market where I trained special needs students was fabulous about UCGs, and their old produce did go to pig farmers ( I got some from time to time!), but they did have to be checked out so they weren't feeding people! That danged lawsuit was always hanging over their head! Nancy

I don't think I would ever pay for materials to compost. I would however accept some materials in exchange for finished compost.

A bit off topic.....is anybody else perturbed at these single use coffee maker thingies? More and more people are using them which means less and less UCGs....drives me nuts.

Lloyd

Sorta. I switched from a pelleted pine bedding for my horses' stall to a pelleted straw bedding because I much prefer the compost I get from the straw. The straw based bedding costs me about 25% more than the pine. It has a few stable management advantages, but one of the main reasons I justify the added expense is the higher quality compost.

Now, if I was keeping horses just for the poop the to put in my compost I'd be certifiable.

Personally for me, I wouldn't pay for any materials or even bins for composting. I could afford it but I just get a kick out of having a garden that I only spent a few bucks for seeds. I even save a few of my seeds from the produce I grow for the next year. For me, being a supreme cheapskate is a big part of the hobby. I do the same thing with my hunting and fishing. I try to make my own tackle, catch my own bait, hunt public land, ect.
I certainly couldn't get enough food to feed my whole family year around using any of these methods, but,on occasion, it's pretty cool to be able to serve up a big, organic, gourmet meal to my family and friends that I paid little to nothing for.

Klem, some people that are prominent business owners, probably make tax deductable donations, but would'nt help someone in front of them. I am giving a friend a truck bed liner in exchange for hauling a load of mulch for me. I think that's a good exchange. My mom uses the single cup machine. She empties them for me so I get a tiny bit each time. They aren't potent enough for me to drink a cup from them, I like strong coffee. I have yet to ask my friend to save veg waste from work. I think she may not be able to without people making trouble. There are some not so nice people there. I can easily get fall leaves and shredded wood, I even buy bunny poo, about $20.00 after shipping per box. It's great fertilizer and no weed seeds, or limited seeds.

Barter could be a great thing for the common citizen. I injoyed the few local exchanges I've attended over the years. Were my plate not full already,I would love attempting to establishing a first Sat morn exchange at the nearby farmer's market. If you all are referring to Keurig,we have used one since Christmas. We toss them into empty 2 LB coffee containers that I saved in the past. Occasionaly I empty several by ripping away the foil cover and plunging needle nose pliers to the bottom and pulling out both, filter and coffee.
I normally have enough material but here is how I handle the waste veggies from the supermarket when I need them. I carry a step ladder,an open top 55 gal barrel,rubber gloves and a trash pick-up tool in the truck when going shopping. As I leave the market I pull by the dumpster. 90% of the produce waste is in wood shipping crates and if not covered very deep can be pulled to where I can grip with my hand and remove from dumpster. Everone understands that part but what about being questioned about the act? I say that I'm aware they don't give the stuff away and I plan leaving the place as clean as I found it. Were anyone to start non-sense about liability of me becomeing sick from eating it,I will show them the groceries and recept to set them at ease. I only had to deal with that issue a few times in 30 years. The employee never pushed the thing except one time. I didn't remove any more nor put any back when she threatened calling the cops. I apoligized for upsetting her then left. Were the police ever involved and gave me a ticket,I plan asking for a jury trial. I fully expect the city would drop it but if a jury found me guilty,I've had worse happen. I know some would be crushed over a scolding for dumpeter diving but I have fairly thick skin plus a real dislike for how liability is over the top and become a monkey on our back at every turn. Does anyone believe a street person can get a judgement against a store because he ate spoiled food from their dumpster? That's why the manager can't invite you to take the stuff but isn't likly to prosicute you for taking it without permission. Just don't create a mess,that's mostly why dumpster diving is frowned on.

I swear if I didn't have a full time job I would start a major dumpster diving, uh, recycling operation. :-] There is SO much that goes to waste - resources that should be reused.

"There is SO much that goes to waste - resources that should be reused"

Tox,that is what my mom would call "a mouth full" were she still with us. Sadly composting material is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. The constant pressure from the powers that be on John Q to recycle while the powers alow fair haired friends to waste on grand scale is disgusting at best. I will pass up a rant and just say that what I said above is about one of my small push backs.

Preach it, brother, preach it!

I buy bagged woody browns to add to the coffee I get free from starbucks to create heat. If I don't buy them, I don't get enough compost because of too many greens. Not only that the compost is not of a good texture. You will a full texture compost with body. It's hard to explain, but it makes a huge difference.

Some additional ideas: do a heavy duty search Re: what materials you can compost & I 'll bet you are throwing away some items you didn't know you could compost. Examples: worn out blue jeans & other cotton items, old feather pillows, used facial tissues, tlt ppr & paper towels. Dog vomit. Human urine. Probably people vomit, too, except my kids had outgrown that stage before I started really serious composting. At Halloween, look for churches, schools, etc that are selling pumpkins as a fund raiser. At the end of the sale, offer to haul away the leftovers. During gardening season, use every square inch of soil to grown "something". We used to grow swiss chard in every tiny space available even though we never ate it. It grows fast & doesn't bolt in the summer heat. Over the course of the growing season, swiss chard added a fair amount of greens to the pile, allowing me to add even more paper & cardboard. One last idea: When taking the dog for his daily walk, I used to bring 2 large tote bags & a pair of scissors. As we walked, I used to harvest deep-rooted roadside weeds, such as dandelion, curly dock & poke. Over the course of the growing season, this really added up. Also, these particular weeds would regrow because I only harvested the tops. Watch out for poison ivy, snakes, etc. Hopefully, others here will chime in with some odd items you never realized that you could compost. If had known 40 years ago what I've since learned from the compost & winter sowing forums, I could have done a MUCH better job of feeding my family. Laura

Yes this year, I have taken to letting previously unwanted plants grow. When they reach a certain size or about to flower, I pull them out and use for compost.

Sometimes I'm walking down the street and I see debris (of leaves or other organic material) piled up somewhere because wind blew it there. I just smile and think to myself....I can bring my car and a bag and take it!!