Save Your Skins from the Bins: Composting 101

We’ve been thinking a lot about sustainability lately and how we can do our bit. 

Each year the world generates around 1.2 trillion kilograms of garbage¹ and just under half of that comes from organic waste. What this means is that we can actually do something to change this statistic by making a few small changes to our lifestyles.

Composting is a great way to start recovering food waste and is a little step in the right direction on the journey to becoming more sustainable. Composting is when we allow organic matter to break down naturally, creating a mulch-like material that does wonders for the quality of your soil and plants². It’s a very simple, hassle-free way to start as nature does most of the work for you!

Here are some methods for how you can start composting at home:

1. Compost by yourself

Compost heap

Make sure you pick a spot that is level and well-drained so that excess water can drain away easily³. Make sure you have a good mixture of greens and browns. Greens would be your food scraps, egg shells, tea bags and so on while browns consist of egg cartons, scrunched up paper or fallen leaves. Adding scrunched up bits of cardboard is a simple way to create air pockets that will help keep your compost healthy. When nature has done it’s thing you’ll have a dark brown, almost black soil-like layer at the bottom of your bin. It should have a spongy texture and will be rich in nutrients. You’re ready to go!

Vermi-composter

If you don’t have the garden space, a Vermi-composter might be better for you – it’s small, portable, and fast⁴. Worms are essentially little magical composting machines that will eat up your food waste and churn out organic matter that can be used to grow food and feed your plants.
The ‘worm tea’ that they produce is rich in nutrients and can be used on house plants and planter boxes to produce beautiful blooms. You can opt for a ready made worm composter or you can learn how to DIY one here: http://compost.css.cornell.edu/worms/steps.html

Bokashi Bin

If you’re a busy gal but still want to be more sustainable without the time commitment, then this one is for you. This method is hands off and hassle free! The Bokashi Bin is a giant bucket that you toss all your food scraps into — even meat and dairy — which then ferments over time to create a ‘pre-compost’ that you can use for your garden and pot plants. Remember to wait 2-4 weeks before planting after laying down your pre-compost. You can read more about the Bokashi Bin here: https://www.bokashishop.co.za

2. Collect scrap at home

Container Method

Who said composting can’t be cute? If don’t have a garden or you’re just limited on space, get yourself a container that matches your kitchen or a stainless steel pail that blends in seamlessly with your kitchen appliances. You can store your organic waste in here until you’re ready to add it to your compost (or see our 3rd method if you don’t have anything to do with your scraps). Just make sure that your container has a lid to keep away unwanted pests and smells!

Freezer Method

Got excess scrap that you don’t have space for? Keep your scraps in the freezer where they won’t break down. Simply place everything that can be composted into a bag and place it in your freezer until you’re ready to add it to your compost.

Share your scraps

Community garden

If you don’t have the space to compost at home, don’t worry you can still do your bit. Take your scraps to your nearest community garden where they would happily add your scrap waste to their composting heap.

Give it to a friend

If you can’t find a community garden near you that has a composting heap, look to your friends and family! Ask around to find out who is composting at home and add to theirs. This way you are able to reduce your waste and help out a friend with their composting too. You can trade your scraps for some finished compost to add to your plant babies. 

So save those skins and get composting to treat your plants – and our planet – with the nourishment it deserves.

PS – here is a nice PDF version of this for future reference!

References

1. Thompson, D. (2012, June 7). 2.6 Trillion Pounds of Garbage: Where Does the World’s Trash Go?. The Atlantic. Retrieved from: https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/06/26-trillion-pounds-of-garbage-where-does-the-worlds-trash-go/258234/

2. Quartz. (2014, June 4). These maps show how the world composts. Quartz. Retrieved from: https://qz.com/216261/these-maps-show-how-the-world-composts/

3. The Eden Project. (n.d). How to make a compost heap: 10 top tips. The Eden Project. Retrieved from: https://www.edenproject.com/learn/for-everyone/how-to-make-a-compost-heap-10-top-tips

4. Cowan, S. (2017, March 8). How to Compost in an Apartment. Earth Easy. Retrieved from: https://learn.eartheasy.com/articles/how-to-compost-in-an-apartment/