COMPOSTING FOR BEGINNERS
Composting for beginners has never been easier! With trendy, counter top compost bins and companies willing to pick up excess compost, you can compost from anywhere.
Why compost?
40% of all food purchases (amounting to $162 billion) are thrown away in the USA each year, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. To put this in perspective, that amounts to 1,160 pounds of food, on average, per year for an American family of four!
When this food waste decomposes in landfill, it produces methane gas (a greenhouse gas) that is 28 times more toxic and damaging than carbon dioxide produced by traditional motor vehicles.
What can WE do?
COMPOSTING FOR ALL
As it turns out, composting can be done easily, in any size home, at virtually no cost or effort. Compost provides valuable micronutrients (not found in commercial fertilizers) to soil, reduces landfill and greenhouse gases (see our post on ‘What’s Your Foodprint’ for more details), improves soil’s ability to retain water thus reducing runoff, saves us money (i.e. provides natural fertilizer and mulch, decreases garbage disposal time and costs), and even creates alternative energy!
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), diverting organic materials from landfills ultimately “avoids the production of methane and leachate formulation” most commonly known as ‘greenhouse gas’. A highly destructive by-product of landfill waste that causes soil pollution and global warming.
Additionally, Cornell University, Compost Power, University of Edinburgh, and others have found a way to capture the heat from decomposing compost to create an alternative energy source for heating water, buildings and other structures. Amazing, right?!
How To Compost?
Follow these simple 7 steps:
1. Choose a Container or Yard Space
If inside, grab a trash can of any size. We like an easy under the sink or compact, counter top option, like EPICA’s Stainless Steel Compost Bin with Charcoal Filter ($25.95).
If outside, clear an area with a flat surface, preferably out of sight and out of the way of any traffic areas! Or, you can use composting barrels and tumblers.
We found a super deal on a tumbling composter made 100% from post-consumer, recycled polypropylene by FCMP Outdoor, 37 gallon ($99.95). Looking for an even cheaper option? For instructions to make your own, click here.
2. Add Compost or Topsoil
Now, your first ingredient ideally should be some finished compost, you can borrow this from a gardening friend, buy it, or use cheaper (less nutrient rich) topsoil. The point of this is to give a head start to the organisms responsible for breaking down the organic matter into compost. Don’t have this? Don’t worry! Move on to step 3.
3. Consider Brown to Green Ratio
You’ll want to have both brown (carbon) and green (nitrogen) organic matter. Compost scientists (yes there are compost scientists!) have found that the best ratio is about 25 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen for the fastest decomposition, according to Planet Natural.
If your composter can not accommodate this high of a brown to green ratio, no problem. We have used as little as a 4:1 carbon to nitrogen ratio and been successful. (NOTE: This does take more time to decompose.)
4. Add BROWN matter
The most common source of BROWN organic matter is dead leaves, but any dead plant material works, so long as it is not too woody. (You can compost tree branches, sticks, etc. but they take much longer to break down. For best results, try grinding it or cutting it up first).
Other common sources: cardboard and newspaper (shredded), vegetable and fruit scraps, peanut shells, and eggshells.
5. Add GREEN matter
Next, add GREEN matter, which actually includes any recently living or moisture filled organic waste. All your kitchen scraps, pulled weeds, cut plants, or grass clippings can be considered green matter. This green matter represents nitrogen mostly. If you add too much of it, or do not add enough brown, your compost might smell.
Technically it is possible to compost other animal products as well, but they attract animals and rodents and can smell so we do not recommend composting meat and dairy.
Also, avoid any cooked or canned foods, even vegetables, that have been salted. Salt kills the organisms that will be decomposing your yard waste.
Other Common sources: coffee grinds and used filters, condiments and sauces, cut flowers, fruit rinds and cores, shells from shellfish, tea and tea bags, and stale or moldy bread and grain products.
6. Provide Aeration
Make sure that your compost has exposure to air and if possible turn your compost pile several times a month to provide oxygen and speed up the decomposition process.
7. Keep Moist
The final ingredient is water. You want the pile to be moist, like a wrung out sponge, but not wet.
Compost Success – What to do with your ‘black gold’?
So after you’ve created this wonderful compost bucket or pile, what do you do if you’re running out of space for the compost? Luckily, it only takes about 2-3 weeks for the matter to decompose thus significantly reducing the waste. Once it becomes finished compost, often referred to as “black gold” by master gardeners, it can be used on your lawn, garden, flower pots, or bagged and stored for later use.
Still have more compost than you know what to do with? Organizations like Collective Resource in Chicago will collect your organic waste weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly for a nominal fee. Community gardens are also more than happy to take your black gold and for those without personal ‘green space’, these organizations can be an amazing way to connect with nature and your neighbors!
Turning your nasty trash to garden compost is a wise, earth-loving, and money-saving choice for the home gardener as well as the couch potato. So save the stale, green bread and mushy, black bananas for a Mother Earth party and start composting today!
And, please reach out to us if you have any questions in the comments section below!!
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ABOUT US
K.O. “knock-out” ecolife promotes healthy living with a gut-wrenching desire to make a difference! We’re ‘Fighting for a Greener Planet’ with the eco-friendly products we develop, information we share on health, fitness, and wellness, and Giving Back mission.
