Compost kitchen food waste
Why This is Green
Food scraps make up 7 percent of household waste, on average. Some (but not all) can be composted. It's nothing short of miraculous to literally watch your garbage bag deflate--as if on a diet--simply because you compost scraps rather than send them to a landfill. Food is biodegradable (well maybe Twinkies aren't), but in order for it to break down in a landfill, it needs access to a basic combination of air, water, light, microbes, and enzymes. Unfortunately these aren't readily available in an overstuffed landfill. As kitchen scraps struggle to break down in non-optimal conditions, they create methane, a greenhouse gas at least 20 times more heat-absorbent than CO2.
It's far better to collect the scraps and turn them into valuable humus for houseplants and gardens.
Learn More
- Practically Green: How To Avoid Mountains Of Holiday Garbage
- Practically Green: Composting Guide For Girls Who Don’t Like Worms
- YouTube: How A Bokashi System Works
- YouTube: How To Worm Farm Compost
- Earth 911: Composting While Cooking -- A Guide For The Kitchen
- EPA.gov: Basic Information -- Composting
How To
What you want to compost will affect the kind of system you'll set up. For veggie scraps, eggshells, coffee grounds, and other uncooked food, a simple system will do. If you want to compost meat, fish, or cooked food, you’ll need a hot composter, bokashi system, or worm bin.
You can make your own composter or buy one at a garden center or online.
Urbanites can compost! You don't need a yard. Worm bins tuck into most corners with no smell or mess. There are also automatic composters ideal for apartment dwellers.
A fantastic no-fuss option is compost drop-off. Increasingly--especially in urban areas--there are community drop off points and even municipal pick up. Check with your farmers' market or community garden for local details.
