Hi! I’ve gotten into composting a lot more, and I try to do my best to compost everything that is compostable (Napkins, qtips, coffee grounds, etc) I even have a plastic bag I put all my compostables in, so I can put them in my bin when the bag is full. I even asked my coffee shop for their coffee grounds, which I’m hoping to make a weekly thing. What are some things you compost and do for the environment?
I have a compost bin that I throw a lot of stuff in, and I have chickens, so I also throw some scraps on the ground around the compost bin and the hens excitedly gobble them up. When it comes time to plant the garden and use the compost, all my hens run across the yard at full tilt to pounce on any worms or other crawlers in the bin. When I’m digging in the garden I’m always under the watchful eyes of hungry hens waiting for my trowel to uncover worms.
Where I live, there are invasive Japanese beetles that devastate all sorts of native plants. I put out pheromone traps that attract the beetles to within reach of the chickens, and then the chickens happily eat the beetles for me. The chickens barely touch their feed in peak beetle season, and I’ve heard of people catching enough beetles to freeze and feed their chickens all year.
The extra protein and micronutrients from the beetles make my hens’ eggs tastier, too.
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Mine gets full almost all the time. I put all my grass clippings, sidewalk dirt, in there. I might need a bigger bin lol.
I think by “not getting full” s/he meant that the stuff decomposes faster than the container can be filled.
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I live in an area where organic waste is collected to be recycled, which is why I’m not sure if I should be composting anyway, what do you suggest?
Edit: Thanks for the responses! I’ve looked at the benefits of composting in my area, and it seems that, not only I won’t pay organic waste, but I can get a discount on waste expenses. Pretty cool, I would like to start growing some veggies
If the place that collects your compost offers it, using the compost they produce closes the loop and enables the program to continue. Some places also offer composted poop (after being treated) from municipal sewers. It makes a balanced fertilizer and you get to feel good about keeping nutrients out of the waterway your sewer treatment outlets to. I still compost some on my own because I grew up with a compost pile and I like tending it, but supporting the organizations that are reclaiming nutrients from whole cities is a priority for me.
I say start your own compost. Most stuff that gets recycled, I think 75% gets rejected, so start small with your compost. Add egg shells, banana peels, apple cores, newspapers to start. And grass clippings. Grass clippings will fill it up quick though.
Do you have any source saying a substantial amount of organics are rejected? I’ve seen that number attached to combined bin recycling (plastic/glass/metal). I don’t think compostables can be thought of the same because usually organics are processed regionally whereas inorganics are shipped internationally.
I think it depends to a large extent on how effective your local collection service is. In my area, the waste is collected and methane gas is captured as part of the process, so presumably in my case it is better to use that communal service.
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Am using paper bags atm, which go directly in the compost bin (as opposed to plastic bags), but apparently there’s this method called Bokashi which is about fermenting rather than decomposing, and also suited for small places/no garden. Could be worth a try, only concerned about the smell or attracting fruit flies…
I want to compose but have no clue what bin to get/make basically. And no where to put it
Ive got a compost bin, and over the past 2 years ive started growing a healthy amount of produce to reduce the impact of my diet. Aswell as being more conscious of the waste i produce. Im down to one trashbag a month now :)
