Composting 101

“We’re going to start composting!” my roommate says excitedly.

“Okay…” I say, hesitantly. I’m all for changing my lifestyle, living healthy, recycling, and helping the environment. But I had no idea, first of all, what composting even was let alone how to do it.

“It’ll be easy,” she says, putting a small can on the edge of our kitchen counter, “We’ll start with this.”

Anything natural can be composted. Here’s some of our food scraps ready to go!

What is composting? Composting: the idea that anything living will one day decompose–natural recycling–taking organic materials and bringing them back into the earth.

There are several ways to compost, and RecycleWorks explains it best:

  1. Backyard Composting – Using leaves, grass, backyard materials and food scraps to create a composting bin that makes sense for your living space
  2. Worm Composting – for food scraps and people with small/no yards
  3. Grasscycling – using grass clippings as a means of natural yard recycling

 

 

The process, for my roommates and I, was Worm Composting. We bought a bin and drilled holes in the side. Then we bought some worms! The bottom layer is dirt and wet newspaper, giving a bedding to begin the process. Then, slowly but surely, we added our food scraps! Any fruit and veggies, anything natural (like coffee beans or tea bags), any cereals or grains– anything EXCEPT oils, cheeses, meats, and non-natural products!

This is what our backyard bin looks like:20151003_134541

Our in-the-house bin!
Our in-the-house bin!

To start our composting easily in our house, we use a smaller bin. That way we have a place to collect our scraps, and when this tiny container is full, then we bring it to our main bin outside. Honestly, I never thought about composting until I started doing it–it’s so simply and such a natural, healthy way to boost the environment, recycle, save money on trash and create food that is made from natural ingredients.

This is definitely something you can implement in your own home and try! A great way to recycle and give back to the soil. Any questions, just post a comment or check out the RecycleWorks page 🙂

Leave a Reply