The finer points of recycling and secrets of beginning a compost pile are at your fingertips.

Join WSU Extension and San Juan County Solid Waste in a first-ever countywide training of Master Composters/Recyclers. And it’s free.

Participants will learn all the ins and outs of composting, soil building and recycling in this four-week, 16 hour program. Trained volunteers will be expected to provide 20 hours of expert advice and answers to community questions at events, schools and workshops.

Classes will take place on Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., June 21, June 28, July 5, and July 12, at Skagit Valley College’s San Juan Center, on San Juan Island, and will be streamed live by video simultaneously to the public libraries on Orcas and Lopez Islands. Earth Machine composters will be available to participants at reduced cost. Training is limited to 60 participants.

The training and workshops are offered by San Juan County, in partnership with WSU Extension, as part of a community waste reduction effort.

For information or to sign up to reserve a spot, call WSU Extension, 378-4414 (program coordinator Kristina Bayas, 370-7663), or SJC Public Works, 370-0503; or email Public Works’ Helen Venada, hazardous waste coordinator, helenv@sjcpublicworks.org.