Reduce Waste: Compost

Turn Garbage spoils into black gold soil!

By Elvena Bielecki

What is composting? How to compost Types of bins Why is it important?

Indoor Composting with a Worm Bin Troubleshooting Tips

Citations
Citations and Sources
and Sources
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What is composting?
What to Compost is a mixture of decayed or decaying organic matter used What NOT to
compost to fertilize soil. Decaying organic matter is most commonly made compost
leaves weeds
up of grass clippings, and fruit and vegetable scraps. Composting
grass clippings wood ashes
is a simple and efficient way to help make the world a cleaner
manure (cow, meat, grease,
horse, chicken, place in your own lives. Although composting is a great way to get bones
rabbit, NOT
HUMAN or rid of excess food scraps, it is also important to be aware that not any dairy products
house pets)
ALL items/materials can be composted. plastic, metal,
food scraps glass

fruit wastes large amounts of

soggy materials
straw/hay
any wood material
coffee grounds
lime
hair, lint
barbecue charcoal
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How to Compost: It starts in your own home

A step by step guide:
1. Have a place in your kitchen for holding your compost temporarily until you are able to
take it out and deposit into your bin (you can put the food scraps you have left right after
your meal (see what is composting for more information)).
2. Get a bin where you can put your composting materials outside that is close by to your
house to easily walk to.
3. Fill the bottom of your bin with dry leaves, or twigs and straw(around 3-4 inches deep).
4. Put another layer of dry material when you have about 2-3 inches of a layer of compost,
you should not be able to see the dry material underneath.)
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until your bin is full. By the time your bin is full, you will find rich
and organic soil that you will be able to use for your garden, lawn, or other purposes.
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There is lots of variety when it comes to getting a bin!

*For whatever compost bin you decide on getting, make sure it has air holes so oxygen can get through

Turning Bins

Indoor Bin

Earth Machine
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Composting bins come in all
shapes and sizes!
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Advantages
you dont need to go outside
You dont turn bin contents, the worms turn it!
Bin Type
Wood or plastic
Size: one square foot of bin surface area for each pound of compost waste created in one week
Have holes in bin for air flow
Have holes in bottom to let liquid drain out
Worms like temperatures between 50 and 60 degrees
Worm type
Most common is red wriggler (Eisenea fetida)
Ideal ratio is 2:1, so for half pound of compost waste per day, use one pound of worms (1,000 worms in one
pound).
Worm Menu
Decaying fruit, vegetables, and bacteria
Collect compostable waste in a covered container
Add food to of the bin every 5-7 days
Add food to different row each time
Add just a few handfuls each time
Bin bedding
Shredded newspaper, office paper, cardboard, partially degraded leaves. Wet with water. When you
squeeze bedding, only few drops should come out. Fill of bin with moist bedding.
Sprinkle in a handful of eggshells or soil. This provides grit to help the worms digestion. Handfuls of
completed compost of soil can speed the degradation process. Takes 4-6 months till composting is
completed.
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Problem Reasons Solution

Slow Decomposing Lack of moisture
Insufficient nitrogen
Too much or too little
mass
Poor aeration
Cold weather
Add water: a fast decomposing pile contains
40-60% H2O, handful of composting material
should feel damp like a wrung out sponge.
Material should be 1 part nitrogen(green) to 3
parts carbon(brown). Add more(green) nitrogen
material
Best pile size is 3-5 cubic feet
Turning pile puts in fresh oxygen or insert
aeration tubes
To improve heat retention, increase pile size,
insulate outer edges of pile w/thick layers of
straw, leaves, or sod. Cover it with a tarp.

Fruit Flies Most common pest in bin Bury food waste 2 below bedding. Use bin
w/air holes too small for flies to get through
Stop putting food waste in bin for 3
weeks--worms can survive over a month,
but fruit flies cannot

Add more dry bedding if more than a few

Odors Bin material are too wet drops can be squeezed out. Turn pile.
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Why is composting important?

There is too much waste product and not enough fresh soil for planting.
Composting is a controlled decomposition of organic material. It reduces
garbage in landfills and creates nutrient-rich soil for gardens and lawns.
Composting is beneficial to our environment and is something everyone can
do!
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Citations/Sources
(for reference and/or more info)

What is composting?
http://www.recycleworks.org/compost/
http://www.planetnatural.com/composting-101/how-it-works/
Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Home Composting but Were Afraid to Ask , by New York State Department of Environmental
Conservatory

How to Compost.
http://eartheasy.com/grow_compost.html
http://www.howtocompost.org/
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Composting by Chris McLaughlin
Composting for Dummies by Cathy Cromell and editors of the National Gardening Association
http://www.planetnatural.com/composting-101/how-it-works/
Compost: growing gardens from your garbage by Linda Glaser
Home Composting: A Guide for composting yard and food waste, published by the Commonwealth of MA Executive Office of Environmental Affairs,
Department of Environmental Protection
Home Composting Made Easy, by C. MacDowell, Ph.D. & Tricia Clark-MacDowell

Importance of composting:
http://www.earthtimes.org/going-green/importance-composting-help-eliminate-organic-waste-fertilize-soil/82/
http://compost.css.cornell.edu/why.html
Easy Compost: the secret to great soil and spectacular plants by Beth Hanson
Let It Rot!: the gardener's guide to Composting by Stu Campbell