Composting is one of the Eco-Teams newer endeavors. The program was implemented in the Fall of 2009 and has been successfully inspiring the students of Highland to reduce and manage waste ever since. Not only does composting add nutrients to soil, it encourages earthworms, and lessens waste usually left on the curb by 40%. Almost anything that was once living can be composted, though dairy, meat, and cooked food tend to attract vermin. Some companies have created new products that decompose, like Tim Horton's and Booster Juice cups (if rinsed and torn) as well as SunChip's bags. Though grass mowings and soft young weeds rot quickly working as activators, older and tougher plant material will rot at a slower rate but gives the compost body. When composting, it is important to find a balance between both "brown" and "green" material. The first layer of your compost should be composed of sticks to aid in aeration, it's good to include dried leaves in your second layer, your third should be comprised of "green" material like the grass mowings mentioned earlier, follow that with alternating layers of dried leaves and "green" stuff including food scraps.