Turn Your Trash Into Treasure With Composting

By theadmin

If your garbage can looks anything like the average American’s, about a quarter of what’s inside consists of food scraps and yard waste. Instead of sending these materials to a landfill — where they’re destined to release the greenhouse gas methane as they break down — give them a new life in the form of compost. Not only will you save precious space, you’ll enrich your soil, reduce the need for chemical fertilizers, and lower your carbon footprint.

Most composting methods (and there are many) break down into two main categories: outdoor and indoor.

Outdoor

To create a backyard pile, select a dry, shady spot near a water source. Start the pile with a layer of carbon-rich browns (dead leaves, twigs, straw), and then add nitrogen-rich greens (grass clippings, vegetable peelings).

Moisten any dry materials as you add them. Keep layering this way, adding soil if you’d like, and use a shovel to turn the pile every couple of weeks.

Consider adding a cover like a tarp to speed up the process and protect the pile from rain. Your compost is ready when it turns a dark, rich color, which can take anywhere from two months to two years.

While your compost pile can be nothing more than a neat heap in your backyard, there are all kinds of ways you can get fancy with it. To go the DIY route, repurpose wooden pallets, cinder blocks, or plastic barrels to create an eye-catching design that’s also environmentally friendly.

Indoor

Although a backyard compost pile is the typical setup, those who live in apartments or condos don’t have to miss out. Hardware and gardening stores carry special composting containers that provide the right conditions to turn your kitchen scraps into something special.

Vermicomposting — worm composting — is another option for indoor spaces and can be especially fun (and educational) for kids. You can use the composting bin to teach them about nature’s cycles and rhythms.

Steer Clear

You want to avoid dairy products, such as butter, milk, and sour cream; meat or fish bones and scraps; and fats such as grease, lard, and oil, which can smell bad and attract pests.

However, most other leftover food can be composted, so go ahead and pile it on — your garden (and the earth) will thank you for it.

Compost Materials

Fruits and vegetables
Coffee grounds and filters
Tea and paper tea bags
Eggshells
Paper and cardboard
Stale bread and crackers
Toothpicks and bamboo skewers
Dead plants (as long as they’re not diseased)

Keep your eco-friendly ethos by making your own rain barrel, a zero-hassle way to take water from the sky and harness it to use later for your lawn and garden. Get started here.