Welcome, this page provides information and education on what to expect for your compost dropoff, what you can compost, and next steps for how you could start composting at home.
Why Should I Compost?
🚨 The Problem:
✅ Composting as the Solution:
- Reduces Household Waste:
About 28% of your waste would be placed in compost instead of trash cans. If you are a multi-trash bin home, composting might allow you to go down to one bin.
- Reducing Waste:
Composting mimics nature’s method of decomposition, allowing organic material to break down aerobically. Thus, composting greatly reduces our overall waste being sent to landfills, and also cuts greenhouse gas emissions.
- Better Stormwater Management:
Composting can help control stormwater flow on and through soil which aids in the conservation of water as well.
- Healthier Soil:
Adding compost to soil improves its structure and texture, making it more ideal for plant growth by adding organic matter. With higher percentages of organic matter, soil is better able to retain water, nutrients, and air – benefiting the entire ecosystem by creating an optimal environment for plants, and by reducing runoff and erosion.
- Better Soil System:
Think of compost like probiotics for the human body – good bacteria are needed to fight off diseases and keep us alive and functioning. Similarly, in order for soil to be healthy, it needs to foster a community of organisms that break down matter, improve soil structure, and create a fertile environment for plants. Compost comes with a myriad of organisms that do just that.
- Healthier Plants:
Compost helps balance pH, absorbs water so as to keep plants from drying out as quickly, suppresses pests and disease, and discourage certain weeds. Source.
More Information and Resources
What to Expect
🥒 Food Scraps
Whether you are meal prepping, have leftovers that you won’t be eating, or just cook a lot, you will need a compost bucket.
- You can grab a compost bucket here: https://www.amazon.com/composting-bucket/s?k=composting+bucket
- If you are doing small amounts food, select a kitchen countertop bucket. Expect to dropoff once a week or more.
- If you want to lessen your dropoffs, grab a 5 gallon bucket. Just expect a little more stink 🦨
- Ask your 🧑🏻🌾Composter how they would like you to drop off your food scraps. Some accept out of the bucket while others recommend lining with paper or biodegradable plastic bags.
- Once you have a bucket full of food scraps, communicate with your Composter to make sure they are accepting food scraps.
- If they are not, then find another 🧑🏻🌾Composter on our site.
🍁 Yard Waste
First, check if your municipality accepts yard waste. If they do, it may be better to compost through them. If they don’t accept yard waste, use Compost Share to find someone who does accept it.
- You can grab a yard waste bag here: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=yard+waste+bags&crid=UN5EP8D2WBHI&sprefix=yard+waste+bag%2Caps%2C134&ref=nb_sb_noss_1
- If you are trying to reduce plastic, grab a metal container.
- If you are looking for something lightweight and cheap, grab the 72 gallon green plastic bags.
- Make sure to communicate with your 🧑🏻🌾Composter that they are currently accepting yard waste.
- Ask your 🧑🏻🌾Composter what types of yard waste they accept and if there are different drop off areas for different types of yard waste.
- Gather your yard waste and schedule a drop off time with your 🧑🏻🌾Composter (if applicable)
What Can You Compost?
Many people starting their composting journey have questions on what you can and cannot put in your compost bin. There are too many items to put into one list, but the information below should provide enough guidance to give you confidence in filling up your first compost bin.
There is consensus on most items that you or cannot compost. You can view the table and graphics below to find out more information on what you should and should not provide to your composter.
Through your research, you may notice controversy around composting of a few certain items like citrus peels, egg shells, etc. If it is of controversy, it’s better to do so in limited quantities or better yet, just ask your 🧑🏻🌾Composter.
<aside>
Ultimately, your 🧑🏻🌾Composter has the say in what they allow so always check with them for any questions/clarifications.
</aside>
Why Can’t I Compost Everything?
Some food waste items decompose very slowly, create an odor that can attract pests and animals, or spread bad bacteria to any crops that use the compost. View more details below.
Potentially Problematic Items and Why You Shouldn’t Compost Them:
- 🍃 Black walnut tree leaves or twigs - Releases harmful substances for plants
- Coal or charcoal ash - Contains substances harmful for plants
- 🧀 Dairy products and eggs - Create odor problems and attract pests
- 🪲 Diseased or insect-ridden plants - Diseases or insects might survive and transfer to other plants
- 🪔 Fats, grease, lard, or oil - Create odor problems and attract pests
- 🍖 Meat or fish bones and scraps - Create odor problems or attract pests
- 💩 Pet wastes - Might contain parasites, bacteria, germs, pathogens, and viruses dangerous to humans
- 🧪 Yard trimmings treated with chemical pesticides - Might kill beneficial organisms
Why Maintaining Balance (Greens and Browns) is Important
Balance is important to everything in life, and compost is a living process. If your compost begins to have a bad odor (like ammonia), that would indicate too much nitrogen, so you should add more browns. If the compost is not heating up or decomposing quickly, you may need to add more greens or moisture.
You can find a variety of sources below that provide guidance and it can be beneficial to do your own research to learn more about the science behind composting (e.g., aerobic and anaerobic conditions). You should also start to think about the balance of nitrogen and carbon in your compost bin. This primarily applies to your 🧑🏻🌾Composter, but it’s a great start for your composting journey.