Composting At Home

We recently discussed the issue of food waste in our post: Ways to Reduce Your Food Waste & Why it Matters. One of the tips we suggested for reducing your own personal food waste is to utilize composting! Compost can be a combination of food scraps, yard clippings, and dead plant material. Compost is beneficial for the environment in many ways...

• It can be used as a nutrient-rich fertilizer, reducing the need for chemicals

• Compost enriches the soil, improving its water retention which means less water is needed for irrigation

• Reduce civic costs for waste collection and thereby reduce fuel use

• It keeps a valuable resource out of landfills... 40% of residential waste is actually compostable material

Simply put, composting is the process by which organic matter decomposes into compost. That compost can then be used as a plant fertilizer, a soil additive, for erosion control, and ironically, as landfill cover.

There are a variety of methods for composting— Here we are focusing on at-home composting. What you need to do first:

1. Contact your waste collection agency to find out if they offer composting/yard waste collection.

2. Take our flowchart quiz to see what your next steps are.

3. Start composting! Make sure you know what is/isn't allowed in the compost bin. Like recycling, this will vary by city.

Yay! My city collects compost! Some collection agencies will supply the small at-home compost bins. If not, there is no shortage available for purchase. Here are a few options below ↓

• Under the sink

• Countertop

• Bin liners: you will need to check with your collection agency to see if these are allowed. Most at-home farmers prefer to skip them, finding that they don’t break down quickly enough in the outdoor bin

If city-wide compost pick up is an option in your city, you are pretty much done! You simply need to toss your food scraps into your large yard waste collection cart and voilà!

No...my city doesn't collect compost yet, but I DO live near a Whole Foods or Farmer's Market. Good news: you can bring your compost there! Call your local store to make sure you're following their composting guidelines before you use them as your source of collection.

No...my city doesn't collect compost yet, and I DON'T live near a Whole Foods or Farmer's Market. No worries! There are still options available.

• Contact your local university's ag-extension program to see what options are available. They will likely have a composting service somewhere on campus, or they may be able to refer you to an organic farmer associated with the university.

• Ask a friend or co-worker if they garden or know someone who does and is looking for compost.

• See if your area has an organization like The Compost Exchange, Project Green Bin, or a community P-Patch.

You might have to get your hands a little dirty (haha pun intended) researching what is available in your area... but in the end, doing a small amount of work to properly dispose of your food waste is worth the time. The earth will thank you!

No...my city doesn't compost, but I am interested in composting for my own garden/yard at home.

1. Purchase one of the small in-home bins mentioned above to collect food scraps. Then choose a dry & shaded spot in your yard to install a composter, such as the Earth Machine. If you are in a rural area you might be able to get away with an open-top model, but more than likely you will want to keep critters away. Various styles for varying needs are available at garden supply companies. Like the composter linked above, these outdoor bins sit directly on the ground allowing worms & other insects to crawl right in and work their magic.

2. Start layering your food scraps, yard waste, and other compostables like dead plant material.

3. Keep things covered, because the compost will attract flies. To prevent this, just add a layer of newspaper, dry leaves or grass clippings over top the food scraps.

4. GIVE IT TIME. The first batch of compost can take up to a year to be ready & remember that compost breaks down more quickly in the summer when the weather is warmer.

5. Use your compost. Rake it into your flower beds, combine it with the soil of your vegetable garden before planting, sprinkle it onto your yard as a natural fertilizer, mix into potting soil for container gardens, and share the love by giving some to your neighbors! You'll likely have more than you'll need :)

HAPPY COMPOSTING!