Those brown and green globs of rotting leaves and cut grass on lawns may seem like trash—and smell like it, too—but they can be treasures to the soil if reused properly.

The Chilton County Extension System Office will give residents an opportunity to learn about these globs, formally known as compost, during a Regional Backyard Composting Program Thursday, Aug. 25 from 10 a.m. to noon in Clanton.

“Composting is recycling yard waste, like grass clippings, (and) using it in the soil for different things,” said Nelson Wynn, regional extension agent through Auburn University. “It (compost) can be used right back into the landscape.”

Backyard Composting is one in a series of programs offered in Chilton County, Wynn said. He led a master gardeners’ program at the beginning of this year.

The composting program is free to attend, and Wynn will serve as the primary speaker.

“My job is to get out to the public the information from research done by land grant colleges,” Wynn said. “Everything I do is for homeowners.”

According to Wynn, many people throw their compost piles in the trash, losing a valuable (and free) fertilizer and taking up precious space in landfills.

The basic recipe for compost is a balanced mixture of moldy leaves and grass clippings that have bonded for two to three weeks.

“You’ve got to have an even mixture of green and brown stuff to get it right,” Wynn said. “It’s using yard waste to compost; taking organic things, and recycling (them).”