Composting 101: Tips for composting newbies
Composting sounds intimidating and messy but with a few quick tips you can be up and running and saving the world in no time. I can attest to this because I myself am a composting newbie having started my compost to enrich the soil in my veggie garden as well as reduce the amount of kitchen waste that goes into our overcrowded landfills. There are many reasons to compost such as reducing and recycling food waste and household trash, this in turn reduces greenhouse gases, composting adds nutrients to the soil at a fraction of the cost and is overall good for the environment.
Here are 5 quick tips to get your compost practice up and running:
- Get a bin! Composting is a process, it will take time to break down, there will be bugs, it isn’t pretty. Unless you have a lot of land and want to start a compost pile far away from your house, get a bin. A compost bin can be kept near your house for easy access and locked up from rodents.
- Identify a pail or inside container for collection in your kitchen-there are plenty of options for composting pails. Some people opt to keep this on their counter or under their sink, I have simplified and used a large Tupperware container and keep it in the fridge until it is full and ready to dump into the bin.
- Communicate and educate household members for maximum impact. It will take a week or two to make it a habit, but once you establish this practice it will become second nature. Making sure all members of the household know what can and can’t be composted will ensure maximum success.
- Mix of brown and green is needed for a healthy compost bin so be mindful to collect grass clippings and kitchen waste (green) along with brown waste such as dead leaves and dead plants. You can also toss in paper towel rolls, toilet paper rolls and paper bags-in moderation.
- Turn it every 5-6 days! If you are using a bin it will be designed to be easily turned, but it will become a bit more challenging as it gets heavier. However, have fun with it by giving that sucker a few really good spins and taking joy in knowing you are reducing landfill waste and creating some seriously nutrient dense soil.
What can you compost?
Coffee grounds and filters
Tea bags
Grass clippings
Kitchen waste-uncooked veggie trimmings, fruit trimmings, peels, skins from onions, apple cores, unused over ripe fruits and veggies
Egg shells
Paper towel rolls, toilet paper rolls and paper bags-in m
oderation
Dead leaves and plants
Do NOT compost:
Cooked food
Oil
(or any foods that have oil/dressing on them)
Meats
Large branches (won’t break down well)
Happy composting friends!
*Real life picture of my bin and kitchen scraps for your viewing pleasure!