Learning Why & How To Compost!

I learned to compost in 2020 during the pandemic. It requires a lot of research, but once you know the basics, it can be very rewarding.

What Is Composting?

The EPA has a lot of information this. In general, composting is a decomposition process that turns organic matter into a nutrient-rich material that can be used as fertilizer for plants.

What Are The Benefits?

• Instead of spending money on fertilizer to help your plants grow, you can use the compost you have created to improve soil health.
• By composting, you are reducing the amount of methane released. Materials take longer to decompose in landfills and release high levels of greenhouse gases. Composting releases more carbon dioxide than methane, which has a high Global Warming Potential (GWP).

What Do I Need to Buy?

I was familiar with the concept of composting at home, but had never taken the time to explore it. My brother used a company that picked up his compost bin weekly. This can be helpful for those without a yard or a communal garden. Waste management companies also tend to offer composting programs where you can leave compost piles in a specific bag with garbage and recycling bins. While these programs can be helpful, they are not free. I realized it would be most cost-effective if I invested in a compost bin at home.

Compost Bin

It took me a while after a lot of research to determine what compost bin to purchase. I decided this one would work best because it is easy to rotate and maintain. It took a bit to set up, but it was kind of fun if you like assembling items. I’ve had this compost for 3 years now and have no complaints. It has 2 halves, so once you fill up 1 half, you can more on to filling the second half. This will allow the first half to break down without lengthening the overall composting process by adding more to it.

In-Home Compost Bin/Collection Bin

Inside the house, I used 2 plastic containers I already had to collect kitchen scraps before transferring it to the outdoor compost. Honestly, this wasn’t as simple as I thought it would be. The container stained pretty quickly because it was plastic, so it became difficult to clean over time. About 1.5 years after using these containers, I purchased this metal bin and have been using it for the last 1.5 years. It’s smaller than I had hoped, but it fits well on the kitchen counter. I chose this bin specifically because it did not have holes. I did not want to risk bugs getting into the indoor bin AT ALL. There are enough bugs in the outdoor compost to deal with already.

What Is The General Process?

Once you have your compost assembled, the first step is to add a layer of browns and then a handful of soil to introduce microorganisms that are vital to the decomposition process.

It is best to alternate between browns/carbon and greens/nitrogen layers.

The nutrient composition should be higher in carbon (browns) than nitrogen (greens). I typically maintained a 50:50 ratio of browns to greens, but relied of the consistency of the compost to adjust. I was almost always adding more browns/carbon to dry my compost. The compost should be moist, so add carbon/browns when it is wet.

Most kitchen scraps will likely be nitrogen. As a vegan, I don’t have meat scraps, but it is generally not recommended to avoid to attracting animals. I also avoided onions, limes/lemons, and oranges due to their acid content. Google will be your best friend for what to add and what not to.

For carbon materials, I relied on dried yard leaves, used paper towels, and pizza boxes (the parts with grease that can’t be recycled). I collected leaves in a yard bag in the fall and kept this bag in my garage to use in the summer. This was extremely helpful in the summer when I needed more carbon but was less likely to find fallen leaves in my yard.

The compost pile will need to be turned regularly to speed up the decomposition process and improve aeration (important for the microorganisms). I turned my pile every 3 days and adjusted as necessary. If the pile was too wet, I turned more regularly.

The Output

Composting truly is a rewarding experience. I was very excited when I was able to add my compost to my soil.

It’s also fun to google how long something takes to decompose in a compost bin versus the landfill. For corn cobs, it is 2 months versus 18 years. Understanding these differences reinforces the benefits to composting.

What I Wish I Knew?

There are a few things I wish I knew going in. In the winter, I can’t compost too much because my yard doesn’t get much heat and my compost door tends to freeze shut. I should have enrolled in a program, like the waste management one or something similar, to continue composting effectively in the winter.

Be prepared to deal with bugs. You shouldn’t really have fruit flies in your pile, but it happens and it happened to me. I often had to slide the compost door open and then step away for them to fly out and away from my face.

There is a lot to learn, so take it one step at a time and have fun. There are so many resources online to help troubleshoot any issue you run into.

Good luck and have fun!