How to Compost

Composting is the process of taking organic, biodegradable materials and allowing them to decompose into soil. There are so many great benefits of composting, including keeping waste out of landfills, and the benefits of having rich soil that you can use for gardening.

Composting is a fairly easy process, and it is a great way to make your home more eco-friendly.

What you need

• Compost crock
• Compost bin
• Shovel or other tool for turning the compost
• optional – compost accelerator

To get started

Set up your compost bin outdoors. Some towns offer discounted compost bins, or you can often find bins at local garden supply stores. Amazon.com is a great option, such as the Soil Saver Classic Compost bin or the Redmon Culture 65 Gallon Compost Bin.

You will need some kind of tool to turn the compost regularly, such as a shovel.

Indoors, set up a compost crock. This could be on the counter, under the sink, or wherever is most convenient.  I recommend something like a Ceramic  or Stainless Steel compost crock. There is also the BioBag Composting Bucket that has biodegradable bags. This way, you never have to clean out the compost bin – just bring the whole bag to the compost.

What you can compost

You can compost all sorts of organic materials, from banan peels to tea bags. Avoid greasy items such as cheese or meat. Avoid things that may take a really long time to break down, such as coconut shells. If you want to try adding some harder items (like corn cobs), you can try cutting or chopping them up to help with biodegrading.

Tips for active compost

It will take a while to get enough biodegradable material to start getting active decomposition.

You can add in grass clippings and leaves.

Make sure there is some moisture in the compost, and you do not want it to be too dry or saturated.

If you are starting off with composting, or you want to accelerate the process, you can buy a compost accelerator.