Helping the environment one step at a time
August 13, 2024
We started composting almost 2 years ago. My husband was on the fence about it, however seeing how well it broke down our leaves brought him around. Tossing scraps in the compost pail is quick and easy, so he was on board!
Why we decided to start composting
- We have woods in our backyard , so we have a lot of leaves to rake up each fall.
- We don’t have a free option for disposing of our leaves.
- We wanted to do something to decrease our carbon footprint.
- We can have rich soil to use for out flower pots and raised garden bed.
Advantages to composting
There are several advantages to recycling food and other organic waste including improving soil nutrients, lowering greenhouse gas emissions and lessening the impact of drought conditions. By keeping food and organic waste out of landfills, it decreases methane gases by 50% and carbon dioxide by 50%. Roughly only 6% of food waste gets composted.
What do you need to start composting?
We bought a kitchen compost pail with a carbon filter built into the lid. We keep it under the sink so it is handy for putting our fruit/vegetable waste and coffee grounds in. I was skeptical. I thought it would smell. To my surprise-no smell at all!
Find a place to put the compost pile. Moreover, you need to be able to turn it over to keep the pile breaking down. We used woven wire and metal fence posts. Our area is approximately 200 square feet. After we rake up all the leaves in the fall, it is full to the top of our fenced in area.
Once a week commitment
We empty the pail once a week and use a pitch fork to mix it into the leaves. The pile heats up as it breaks down. We add some grass clipping after cutting the lawn, however they don’t recommend using too many clippings.
The results are
- A rich soil we can use instead of buying potting soil. Note: We do screen our soil before using it to remove any debris or rocks that may become mixed into our pile.
- We no longer need to buy lawn and leaf bags or pay for their disposal.
- Our garbage doesn’t smell or attract flies.
- We are doing a step to help the environment.
For more information to guide you on the journey to composting: