COMPOSTING IN THREE EASY STEPS

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Many people begin composting because they are concerned about the impact of society’s trash. As landfills around the world fill, we must find a way to reduce our waste. Composting can cut your contribution to the landfill by 30%.

Others compost for its landscaping benefits. Compost is the rich, dark humus that’s left after plants have decomposed. A good scoop of compost in the soil is like vitamins for a new plant.

Whatever your reason, it’s easy to begin composting. Here are three simple steps to get you started:

1. Get Ready: Find a container. Some kitchen kings and queens will choose to buy a composting pail to keep their counter looking elegant. The white stoneware compost pail below can hold three quarts of material, so you won’t be running to the compost bin after every foray into cooking. It also includes a charcoal filter to reduce odor.



But you don’t have to buy a compost pail to start composting. Just find a large plastic container with a lid. Big plastic coffee bins work perfectly well. My favorite is from Folgers, who packages two pounds of coffee in a plastic cylinder with a build-in handle and lid. Free ergonomic composting pail? Check.

2. Get Set: Find a Spot of Earth. Effective composting requires periodically shifting materials to help them decompose evenly. For the most fertilizing compost, aim for a combination of wet materials, like tomato scraps and coffee grinds, and dry materials, like yard debris.

You’ll need enough space to move materials around according to their stage in the process. If you have extra space for staging your composting, you can just make a neat, compact pile on the earth. Alternatively, you can buy a turning compost bin, which will mix your compost for you, and is perfect for small spaces. Regular compost bins also make for richer compost, but they’re not absolutely necessary to get started.

3. Go! Fill your compost pail. As you select materials for your compost pail, keep these rules in mind:
o No meat. Rotting meat attracts nasty vermin, like rats and maggots.
o No dairy products. Rotting dairy products also attract pests, so keep them out of your compost pile.


Your compost pile should contain organic plant material such as vegetable scraps, yard debris, and eggshells, which provide calcium. Your compost pile can produce a rich tea of fertilizer if you have a way to capture it, such as a compost tea catcher.

That’s it! Composting is one of the easiest ways to reduce your household’s contribution to landfills. Now that you have your composting situation set up, remember to turn your compost pile every month or so, and you’ll soon have nourishing, homemade fertilizer for your garden.

You can also watch our 'Getting Started with Composting Video'.