When I first started trying to increase my sustainability efforts, composting was something that kept coming up. I had heard about it, but didn't really know much about it. I now understand composting is basically recycling organic matter (think food scraps and yard waste) into soil. According to the EPA, "Food scraps and yard waste together currently make up more than 30 percent of what we throw away, and could be composted instead. Making compost keeps these materials out of landfills where they take up space and release methane, a potent greenhouse gas."* That's a really large percentage of stuff that could literally be prevented from ever going into the landfill!
After doing some very basic research, I decided to just go for it and learn along the way. In January of 2020 I convinced Adam to put what's considered a digester in our backyard. A digester is essentially an enclosed compost bin. (Here's a link to a tutorial you can use to make one of your own.) I decided an enclosed compost bin was best for our situation. We still had our sweet dog Jazzy and she loved to eat any and all food. So we wanted to keep all those food scraps contained and away from her. Plus, Archer and Lyla were younger and like to explore everything. We also have lots of bunnies and chipmunks and squirrels and probably other critters I don't care to know about hanging around our yard. The idea of a compost bin that wouldn't encourage more critters was very appealing. So we got a garbage bin, drilled holes in the bottom and sides, dug a hole and stuck in the bin! It was simple and didn't take too much time.
Once we had our bin in place, we added just a bit of dirt to get things set up. Then I did some more research to determine what exactly we could put in our compost bin. You want to have a fairly even mix of green matter and brown matter. Green matter includes things like fruit and vegetable scraps and grass clippings. Brown matter includes things like cardboard, twigs and dead leaves. The EPA's website has a good list of items to get you started. Here's a list of some of the things we compost: fruit and vegetable scraps (think watermelon rinds, apple cores, potato peels), dead flowers, wine corks (make sure they are actually cork and not plastic), hair trimmings, toothpicks, cardboard, eggshells, parchment paper (make sure it says 'home compostable' on the the box- we use the 'If You Care' brand) and floss (again, make sure it says 'home compostable.') Some things definitely break down faster than others. The smaller you break down the items to begin with, the quicker they will break down into compost. So instead of throwing in a whole cardboard box, rip it up first. And smush up eggshells instead of throwing them in whole. You get the picture. Oh, and remember to remove any stickers from your produce before putting them in your compost bin since they won't break down.
One thing that has been helpful is keeping a bowl in our freezer for all of our food scraps. This keeps food from smelling and freezing it first actually helps it break down faster. It also prevents me from having to go outside anytime I end up with an apple core. I just toss things in there and then take the bowl outside when it gets filled up. I might just be weird, but it brings me a nice sense of satisfaction each time I empty a bowl of scraps into our compost bin.
I was a bit overwhelmed when we first started composting. I think I checked Google before composting anything because I was worried I would do it wrong. But composting isn't an exact science. Even if you don't have an exactly equal amount of green and brown matter, it will still break down. And after doing it for two years, it's become second nature. Whenever we go on vacation or visit family that doesn't compost, I feel incredibly weird throwing away banana peels in the trash. Archer and Lyla even have a pretty good sense of what to stick in the freezer versus the recycling bin or the trash.
Another piece of the composting puzzle is to regularly turn it. Every once in awhile, when I bring out a bowl of scraps, I will grab a shovel from the shed and stir up all the contents of the compost bin. Since our bins are buried in the ground, water seeps in the sides and we don't really have to add any water. If you have a compost bin that's above ground, it's a good idea to give it a spritz of water every once in awhile to help it decompose.
After composting for about two years, we realized our bin was getting pretty full. Things were definitely decomposing, but we kept adding in new stuff. Since it was January, we weren't ready to use it in our garden. So we decided to add a second bin. That way, we could stop adding stuff to the first bin and let that totally decompose so it would be ready to use in our garden when we planted it in May. Looking back, we probably should have added two bins to begin with. But we figured it out eventually.
So this past May, I got to add our first batch of compost to our little raised garden. It was pretty amazing that all those food scraps and cardboard somehow turned into soil! We had enough to give our whole garden a good layer of compost.
And look at how happy my garden is! It is thriving this year and I truly think the compost made all the difference. I planted lettuce and tomatoes this year. We enjoyed lettuce throughout June and even had extra to share with our neighbors.
With our two compost bins being so successful, we decided to add another compost setup strictly for our yard waste. Adam got the idea from our neighbor who has a similar setup. Our neighbor even shared some supplies with us. (We are truly lucky to have so many sweet neighbors.) The plan is to put all the sticks we pick up from the yard, along with leaves in the fall and plant trimmings into these bins. It's divided into three sections. The first section is where we add stuff to begin with. Once it starts to break down, we add it to the next section. Once it's fully broken down and ready to be used as compost, we'll keep it in the third section. With this system, we'll be able to completely eliminate the need for curbside yard waste pick up. Plus, we'll end up with more compost for our garden and flower beds around the yard.
So now I just toss all those random sticks and flowers that I've deadheaded into the first section. When I'm watering the garden, I give the setup a spritz of water to help things break down a bit more since it's above ground. I'm so glad Adam came up with this idea. When we were visiting my parents this past weekend, we had some corn on the cob. Adam asked if he could bring home the husks for our compost bin and I've never been more in love. Just kidding, but I do love how he's hopped on board this sustainability train with me.
Composting has allowed me to reduce our household waste by a lot! We end up with one trash bag each week and usually it's not even full. It has also helped our little garden grow. And I'm so happy this is one small thing I can do to help our planet. I hope you'll consider giving composting a try! I'm always here to answer any questions.
*https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home
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