The food we throw away clogs landfills, releases greenhouse gasses, and wastes our precious resources. Fortunately, there are small steps all of us can take to minimize our organic waste. One of the most powerful steps is to start a home compost pile.
Whether you live in a small apartment or a sprawling suburban home, you can become a composting pro in no time flat. And by getting into the habit of home composting, you’ll not only become less wasteful… you’ll also generate plenty of beautiful and earthy compost to help your garden or flower beds thrive!
So, what’s required to start a home compost pile? Here’s a quick summary.
1) Know what you can compost.
Not every food item can be composted. As you consider which scraps you can add to your pile, think mostly of fruits and vegetables, from the tops of your pineapples to the skins off your sweet potatoes. Eggshells, coffee grounds, tea bags, and old flowers can also be composted.
What to avoid: Meat, dairy, bones, cooked food, and anything coated in oil or grease. Simply put, tossing these scraps into a compost pile is bound to attract pests.
2) Store your scraps.
Once you’re clear on which scraps can be composted, you’ll want to find a way to store them. It’s important to add food scraps to your compost pile layer by layer, which means storing them for a while as opposed to just tossing them into the heap each night. (More on the layering process shortly.)
You don’t need a fancy container to store your scraps, and in fact an old milk carton or coffee container can work just fine. Also consider storing your compostable scraps in a bag that you tuck into your freezer, which can ensure you’re not attracting ants or other critters.
3) Choose a place to compost.
The space you choose for composting will depend on your living situation. For example:
● If you live in the suburbs and have your own yard, you can create an outdoor space for composting. Again, nothing fancy is required. A simple barrel or bin works just fine.
● If you live in an apartment or a condo, consider joining with your neighbors to create a shared compost pile somewhere.
● You can also get compost boxes for inside your tiny house or apartment, though these will usually require you to get some worms to help guide along the composting process.
● Many municipalities will actually cart off your compost for you, so look into that option too!
4) Make your mix.
Next we get into the layering process. In other words, how do you create the right compost mix?
First, be aware of the two basic types of compostable materials. Your greens are going to be fruits and veggies, coffee grounds, or yard clippings. Browns tend to be more carbon-rich items like newspapers, pine needles, dead leaves, and egg cartons.
As a rule of thumb, greens are usually going to be wet while browns are usually going to be dry. When you create your compost mix, you’ll want to layer dry browns on the bottom and wet greens on top. This is the best way to ensure the right flow of air and water.
5) Wait and aerate.
Sometimes the hardest part of the composting process is waiting. If you’re living in a warmer environment, the decomposition process can take as little as two months. In colder environments, expect it to take closer to six or eight.
To speed things along, rotate or stir your compost pile regularly, ensuring plenty of air flow, making sure everything in the mix is wet but not too wet.
You’ll know your compost is ready when you’re getting a pleasant, earthy smell, and when the contents of your pile look nice and fluffy… ready to go into a flower part or a garden!
More questions about how to effectively manage waste? We’d love to chat. Reach out to WasteXperts at your convenience.
