Get Started Composting
Composting has some major benefits, and probably a bunch of minor benefits like a sense of accomplishment and whatnot. But let’s take a look at the major benefits, according to the EPA:
Composting saves food scraps and yard waste from the landfill, where it takes up space and releases methane as it decomposes.
The resulting compost itself is good for the soil you grow things in, keeping in moisture and discouraging plant diseases and pests.
Having it also means you don’t have to buy fertilizer.
If you’re trying to reduce your food waste as much as possible (perhaps by organizing your kitchen or making more vegetable stock), composting is a logical step on your journey. It keeps those last scraps of food waste out of the landfill and turns them into something better.
Getting started can be easy easy or involved as you would like. There are two basic ways to go:
Find out if your area has municipal or community composting. Or, connect with a private composting service that collects your compost (and sometimes yard waste) once a week for a fee. Sometimes you can use the compost they make, too. The easiest way to do this is typing “compost service” into Google maps.
Start composting on your own! This can be as simple as the compost pile your parents had in the back of the yard. (If your parents were like our parents, that is.) Or it can involve some more active management. You can even use worms, if you want to get into vermicomposting (which can be done inside). Green America has a fantastic breakdown of the different types of composting and which might be right for you. And here are some tips from the USDA on how to implement your preferred method.
Next, set yourself up for success. Where in your kitchen will you collect food scraps, and in what? What will your process be for putting the scraps into the container, and what will your process be for moving them to the compost (or to the side of the street)? How can you reduce the number of steps this takes to make it as simple as possible?
Get started and practice! It takes time to build a habit, so forgive yourself for throwing out your orange peels for the first couple of weeks. And until you have it down, feel free to hang this printable list of what’s compostable (download it in PDF form here) on your refrigerator.
Whatever method you choose, you will be making something useful out of what you don’t need instead of letting it go to waste. Be proud!