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Compost This? Apple Cores, Worms, and a Cup Made of Corn
If you’re lucky enough to live in a progressive city like Portland or San Francisco, you’re likely already keen on what’s good to compost and what’s not. Thanks to city-wide composting plans, residents in about 90 cities nationwide can now leave their banana peels and other organic waste in a dedicated bin, where a truck picks it up once or twice a week with the garbage and recycling.
In San Francisco, the city’s program cut the amount of waste entering the landfill by a third. That means that less carbon is emitted into the atmosphere, there’s less risk of groundwater pollution, and the city saves big money by extending the life of their landfill. Not to mention, the waste reenters the food cycle as a natural fertilizer.
Unfortunately, many people still live in cities and towns that may only now be running ‘trial’ curbside recycling pickup programs. Residents are still trying to figure out the difference between the number types of plastics.
If that’s your situation, this post is for you. Even if you live in a small apartment with limited space and storage, you can still begin diverting your food waste from the landfill and create an excellent natural fertilizer for houseplants in the process. It only takes a plastic tub with a lid and a handful of worms (Don’t worry, they’ll stay in the tub).
- Pick out a tub that’s about a foot deep (the action occurs near the top, so deeper is unnecessary) and two or three feet on the sides. It should have a lid. Drill a few holes on top to give it some air.
- Pack it half-full with wet shredded cardboard, newspaper, or computer paper shreddings.
- Add a layer of coffee grounds, egg shells, and/or dirt (any one or a combo will do).
- Add your worms! I’ve used www.findworms.com to locate a local source. You’re looking for red wigglers — these guys love kitchen scraps.
Start adding your food waste. Stir it in below the top inch. Give it about three or four months to create compost and regularly add food for the worms. It shouldn’t stink! The worms take care of that. If you do get a smell, your bin is too wet or is not getting enough oxygen. Change out your bedding or drill more holes.
Here’s what you should put in your pile:
- Vegetables
- Fruit rinds and pits
- Nut shells
- Fireplace ashes
- Limited amounts of paper (don’t dump the daily newspaper in each day)
- Vacuum and dryer lint
The first list is carbon producers. Nitrogen producers can be composted as well, but keep a nearly 30:1 ratio between the carbons and these guys:
- Green weeds or grass
- Leftovers (little bit of everything!)
- Coffee grounds
There are a few things you want to keep out of your bin completely. DO NOT feed your worms any meat, dairy, bones, oils, or bread. If you start trying to compost animal products, you’ll quickly have a moldy, stinky mess on your hands.
Follow these guidelines and it’s easy to compost, even if you’re living in tight quarters. Best of all, use the healthy, rich compost you make to begin a windowsill garden, growing tomatoes or herbs wherever you live. Even houseplants will love the extra boost that healthy compost gives them. Go get your bin and get started today!
Tim Eyre works in the self storage industry, regularly traveling to see locations like San Jose storage facility. In many locations, like the storage units yard in San Diego, Tim helps his customers store seasonal equipment when it is not being used for outdoor activities or home improvement projects.
Compost This? Apple Cores, Worms, and a Cup Made of Corn is a post from: Modern Hippie Mag
Modern Hippie Mag is an online resource dedicated to promoting hip, healthy conscious living and environmental sustainability. Featuring engaging articles, podcast interviews and video features, Modern Hippie Mag is “Where it’s hip to BE!”
2012-09-15 11:41:52
Source: http://www.modernhippiemag.com/2012/09/compost-apple-cores-worms-cup-corn/
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