Instead of putting scraps into the trash, I have been composting kitchen and yard waste for years.
The process starts with using a separate container just for table scraps. Some people buy a special container that comes with a filter in the lid that is meant to control odors. Some containers are so fancy the can be kept on the kitchen counter. There are also biodegradable liner bags that make the emptying a whole lot more pleasant. Well, maybe pleasant is a bit of a reach. Cheaper--wrap scraps in newspaper (if you still have that around) and through the whole package into the compost bin.
Options and a range of prices are on view HERE. The thrifty way is to just use an emptied coffee can. I use an old plastic ice cream bucket.
It takes time for compost to happen so the next step is to have a place to leave the accumulating table scrap. Again, there are all kinds of bins that one can buy. There are plans online if you're inclined to build your own bin. If you have the space and no local ordinances against it, you can just make piles. When I had an outdoor bin, I wanted it fully enclosed so that critters didn't think of it as a dessert bar. Critters were already making use of any vegetables I planted as a handy salad bar.
It isn't a matter of just dump and wait though. You will also need to add equal parts of green and brown matters so that you will have both nitrogen and carbon to activate the process.
Brown matter includes twigs, straw, leaves, wood ash and should be the first layer of the compost bin/pile to help it drain and stay aerated. As brown matter is added it is best to chop and shred into smaller pieces because it will decompose faster that way.
Green matter is grass and garden clippings plus the table scraps. For a home composting bin you really want to avoid meat, bones, and animal fat.
Keep layering in equal amounts of the brown and green. Some will cover the pile with straw once there are six or seven layers filling a bin and just let it sit. I liked to give the whole thing a turn every now and then. This is especially needed if the pile gets cold and slimy.
There are products available that are supposed to speed up the process. I heard that pouring beer over the contents of the bin was a way to heat up the decomposing process but my husband was absolutely horrified at the notion.
In the end you get beautiful compost that adds nutrients to the garden.
Here's a table of compost pile ingredients that I found on stonepierpress.org/gardeningnews/howtocompost
Boy do I wish I had done this when I had a garden. Wonderful way to recycle trash. Now days,I don't really have any scraps to amount to anything since I can't use meat, bones and animal fat. Except for the bones, I recycle those through my dog's gut.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting information. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI should have done more research on this when we lived in Illinois. We don't have much yard here in Hawaii to compost. In Illinois, I used to just dump the kitchen peelings and such in a pile and they seemed to just biodegrade. I wonder if little critters were eating them too.
ReplyDeleteI have a small pail in the back yard, but it's pretty much just table scraps at the moment. I'll add the green and leaves next spring when I empty it.
ReplyDeleteTake care, stay well.
Good for you.
ReplyDeleteI had to stop, as the bear kept taking ours out!
We used to compost all of our kitchen scraps. From sink carton to outside covered pail to being dug into the soil of the raspberry patch, which was covered with black plastic between the rows.
ReplyDeleteNow we still compost much of our garden plant material but other stuff, like tree limbs, woody stems, and kitchen scraps go into the yard waste bins that are part of our garbage service. The yard waste collection truck takes the contents to a compost processing site which makes commercial compost on a massive scale.
Good for you! We are too lazy to do it ourselves. We have a guy who comes by once a week and picks up our compost matter which we keep in a bucket by the garage.
ReplyDelete