With the help of insects and microorganisms, food scraps from your kitchen can be recycled just like plastic bottles and aluminum cans!
Alright, maybe not “exactly ” like those inorganic products, but recycling organic bi-products like potato skins, strawberry tops, and banana peels is absolutely possible.
Not only is it possible, but composting can be done in your own backyard today! I think its time we talked about the zero-waste magic that is composting.
Why Compost?
Compost is a nutrient-dense soil amendment that every garden should take advantage of. When you invest in a compost bin you gain the ability to:
- Reduce your waste volume to landfills
- Develop nutrient-rich soil for growing more food and flowers
- Suppress soil-borne diseases
- Fertilize your garden for free
- Replace the need for chemical fertilizer
- Decrease greenhouse gas emissions from rotting food
How Does Composting Work?
Remember the first law of thermodynamics: Energy cannot be created or destroyed but it can change forms.
Composting operations depend on a variety of microorganisms, fungi, and insects to break down discarded organic material into simpler forms. This process is known as decomposition and organisms that make their energy from eating decaying material are called detritivores.
Decomposition is the engine that runs a composting bin and to a large extent, the circle of life. Without it, life as we know it could not exist.
Composting happens in nature 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It’s how nature builds soil that is healthy enough to sustain the ancient forests and dense jungles of the world.
Humans can harness the power decomposition to develop soil as well. Follow the flow chart below to get the gist of how this works.
Phase one 1: Rejection
- The USDA estimates that food waste in America averages about 30-40% of its food supply.
- From ugly produce in supermarkets to unsold movie popcorn, most establishments where food can be bought and sold produce their own forms of food waste that goes to landfills.
- In nature, food waste exists in the form of fallen fruit that rots on the ground or the remains of a recently hunted animal
Phase 2: Decomposition
- Discarded food gets broken own through decomposition
- Decomposition comes in 2 flavors
- Aerobic
- Anaerobic
- In a compost bin, it is important to provide an aerobic environment for the detritivores working on your food scraps.
- Heat is a byproduct of microbial activity and an indicator of a happy compost bin.
Aerobic Digestion
(with oxygen)
Microorganisms and insects use oxygen to process discarded organic material into simpler forms. Aerobic bacteria will multiply faster than anaerobic bacteria given an abundance of oxygen.
Anaerobic Digestion
(without oxygen)
Typically happens in environments deprived of oxygen like in landfills. Most microbes cannot survive in anaerobic conditions. Organic material will rot and produce methane, a greenhouse gas about 23 times more potent than carbon.
Phase 3: Application
- Finished compost should be warm to the touch and have an earthy smell to it. Compost can be applied to your garden in a couple of different ways
- Topdressing: Apply about an inch of compost to the topsoil of your garden. As you water your plants, microorganisms will help work the nutrients down to the plant’s roots
- Compost Tea: Stirring and steeping your compost in water will result in a form of tea that your plants will love. While not suitable for human consumption, compost tea contains many of the nutrients from your compost that you can use as a kind of liquid organic fertilizer.
What to Put in Your Compost
Great compost is made from a mixture of great ingredients. It is important to feed your compost bin a balanced diet of organic material. A simple rule of thumb to follow is the 3 parts Brown: 2 parts Green rule.
Browns
Materials high in Carbon
- Cardboard
- Newspaper
- printer paper
- Compostable utensils
- Brown leaves
Greens
Materials High in Nitrogen
- Grass clippings
- Vegetable scraps
- Coffee grounds
- Green leaves
Technically, any and all organic material is fair game for decomposition, but composting is an art that requires balance and a respect for:
- Time
- Composting is not an overnight craft. Some ingredients can help speed up or slow down the rate that your bin operates.
- For example, shredded paper provides a great source of carbon, but too much will slow down your bin’s activity.
- On the flipside, used coffee grounds are shown in science reports to speed up decomposition and increase microbial activity.
- The Detritivores
- Think of the compost bin as a luxury apartment with an all you can eat buffet and the detritivores as your tenants.
- Worms are especially sensitive to acidity, so citrus fruits are something to avoid adding to the worm buffet.
- Also, mind the right amount of water to add to the hotel. Worms need a moist environment to thrive, but too much water will drown them and your microorganisms.
- Potential pests
- Just like the garden, compost bins can be a potential source of nutrients for a variety of adventitious organisms.
- Dairy products and meats of any kind should be avoided so that rodents and birds don’t make a snack out of your compost bin
When Your Compost Is Ready to Use
Finished compost is characterized by its dark brown, almost black, color. Compost that is ready should be damp and warm to the touch.
Compost can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to completely decompose, so be patient and manage the conditions for the detritivores to work their magic.
In a bin where you’re constantly adding material, investing in a sifter to differentiate the smaller particles of finished compost from the larger pieces of fresh organic material
When Should You Start Composting?
Composting takes time. You could start next year, or next month, or even next week. Just know that the sooner you start, the more compost you’ll have, so the best time to start is NOW!
By investing in a compost bin, you gain the ability to divert organic waste from landfills and put that energy into growing a flourishing garden. Composting does not have to be complicated and setting up a bin can be a fun alternative way to manage household waste.
Place your compost bin outside by your recycling bin or even directly in your garden and start benefiting from the magic of nature’s organic trash compactors TODAY!