How to Start Composting at Home: Be More Sustainable with Your Food Waste
Apr 15, 2022 03:04PM ● By Rose Terami
The best way to be the most sustainable with our food waste is to consume all of our food. Only buying what you know you’ll use at the grocery store and getting creative to use all of it is a good habit for you and the planet. With the inevitable food waste, we create, composting is a great way to restore that waste to the Earth, where it can be used again in our ecosystems.
Here is how you can start composting your food waste at home:
Decide - Indoor/Outdoor?
If you produce a lot of food waste and have the space outside, investing in an outdoor compost bin or a tumbling composter might be the right way to go. It’s easy to use, animal-proof and holds a lot of waste. Some food waste can also be fed to farm animals. If you don’t produce that much food waste or composting outdoors is not a viable option for you, consider purchasing a small countertop composting container that can hold your food waste throughout the week. You can then bring your compost to a local composting facility, such as this food drop-off program in Lebanon.
If you’re composting on your own at home, add nitrogen-rich materials to your bin or pile (leaves, weeds, grass, manure, food scraps, etc.) to help your compost develop quicker. Also, add carbon-rich materials (twigs, shredded paper bags, coffee grounds, bark, sawdust, moss, straw, etc.) to give your compost a good texture and airflow. Cover your compost, keep it moist, and turn it every few weeks (either in a tumbler or with a shovel). Avoid composting food waste such as meat, fish, dairy, oils, and poultry.
Once your compost turns into soil, which can take weeks to months depending on the size and contents of the compost, you can use it in a garden, as mulch, or potting soil.
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