Pile: Compost Ratio Calc — Support

Need help?

Email roman.kopaliani@gmail.com with your question. Please include:

• What you were trying to do
• What happened instead
• The app version (Pile → More → About)

Frequently asked

What's free and what's in Pile Pro?

Free forever: the Mix Check (both modes, with verdicts and the browns-needed math) and Compost Safe. Pile Pro ($6.99, one-time) unlocks the Material Library, Pile Log, and Fix My Pile. No subscription.

What's the right ratio of browns to greens?

Two honest answers, depending on how you measure. By volume (buckets), EPA's guidance is at least two to three times the browns to the greens. By weight, Cornell's ideal carbon-to-nitrogen ratio is about 30:1 — Pile estimates your blend from Cornell's per-material values and tells you which way to adjust.

Why won't the app give me a C:N number from my bucket counts?

Because C:N ratios are defined by weight, and a bucket of leaves weighs wildly less than a bucket of wet scraps. Converting buckets to chemistry would be invented precision — so buckets get EPA's volume rule instead, which was written for volume in the first place.

My pile smells — is it ruined?

Almost never. A rotten smell means too wet or starved of air: add browns and turn it. A sharp ammonia smell means too many greens: add high-carbon browns and turn it. Per EPA's troubleshooting, every fix ends with a turn.

Can I compost meat, dairy, or my dog's waste?

No — all three are on EPA's do-not-compost list (the first two attract animals; pet waste carries pathogens a backyard pile won't kill). The full never list is on the free Compost Safe screen.

Why isn't my pile heating up?

Per EPA: mix in greens and turn it. Also worth checking — small piles struggle to hold heat, and a pile that's already dark and earthy isn't cold, it's finished.