Actionable Composting Tips and the Benefits
Why should we start composting?
Why should we start composting?
Shop the pictured composting bin.
Eliminating food waste is an important step in combating climate change because about 11% of all greenhouse gas emissions that come from the food system could be reduced if we simply stopped letting food go to waste. (1)
If this is something that has seemed daunting in the past, we’re here to break down the basics and benefits to help you begin.
If you’re unfamiliar, composting is the process of creating an environment in which organic materials can decompose rapidly to create material that is rich in plant nutrients and mixable with growing soil. Compost helps improve a soil’s texture, helps it retain water, promotes healthy root growth, can ward off pests and can mitigate diseases in plants. Adding compost to a garden, lawn or potted plants can help them flourish over time.
The basics
All composting requires these three things:
Browns — this includes materials such as dead leaves, branches, and twigs.
Greens — this includes materials such as grass clippings, vegetable waste, fruit scraps, and coffee grounds.
Water — having the right amount of water, greens, and browns is important for compost development.
Your compost pile should have an equal amount of browns to greens. You should also alternate layers of organic materials of different-sized particles. The brown materials provide carbon for your compost, the green materials provide nitrogen, and the water provides moisture to help break down the organic matter.
Benefits of Composting
Enriches soil, helping retain moisture and suppress plant diseases and pests.
Reduces the need for chemical fertilizers.
Encourages the production of beneficial bacteria and fungi that break down organic matter to create humus, a rich nutrient-filled material.
Reduces methane emissions from landfills and lowers your carbon footprint.
For Backyard Composting
Select a dry, shady spot near a water source for your compost pile or bin.
Add brown and green materials as they are collected, making sure larger pieces are chopped or shredded.
Moisten dry materials as they are added.
Once your compost pile is established, mix grass clippings and green waste into the pile and bury fruit and vegetable waste under 10 inches of compost material.
Optional: Cover top of compost with a tarp to keep it moist. When the material at the bottom is dark and rich in color, your compost is ready to use. This usually takes anywhere between two months to two years. (1)
Indoor Composting
If you do not have space for an outdoor compost pile, you can compost materials indoors using a special type of bin. Remember to tend your pile and keep track of what you throw in. A properly managed compost bin will not attract pests or rodents and will not smell bad. Your compost should be ready in two to five weeks.
Freezer Composting
When using a freezer bag to compost, you won’t quite be composting, moreso freezing your scraps until you find a convenient time to drop these off at your local composting site. If you don’t know where this is, ask in your local Zero Waste Facebook group, or post on NextDoor and crowdsource responses.
We hope that these tips helps you tackle composting and give you a jumpstart on eliminating food waste.
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