Composting 101: How to Start Your Own Bin

May 9, 2021 Simple Ecology

Did you know that one-third of the world's food is wasted, amounting to 1.3 billion tons every year (Sustainable Home). With such high quantities of food going into landfills, as well as rising levels of greenhouse gasses, it’s no wonder that so many people are turning to composting as a way to lessen their environmental impact. So whether you’re new to the green scene or are looking for another notch to add to your sustainability belt, creating a compost pile this spring is a wonderful activity to start, not to mention saving you money.

Why Compost?

You may be wondering why there’s such a large push for people to compost their food scraps and organic matter. After all, wouldn’t they just compost in landfills anyway? Well, not exactly. Modern landfills are designed to protect the environment from possible harmful contaminants (EPA), meaning that they are completely enclosed to prevent any contaminants from escaping.

This airtight system blocks any oxygen from getting to the organic matter in the landfill, causing the organic materials to break down anaerobically. Here, the microorganisms within the organic matter slowly break it down, creating high amounts of Methane gas in the process. This greenhouse gas is one of the leading factors behind climate change, as Methane is 25 times as effective as Carbon Dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere. According to the EPA, landfills are the third largest human-made source of Methane emissions in the United States, accounting for 16.4 percent of total Methane emissions in 2016.

So why is composting any different? Composting helps reduce the massive amounts of Methane being produced by the decomposing food as oxygen is brought into the equation. Not only that, it helps decrease emissions from garbage trucks and heavy machinery used to create & fill landfills. And when this compost is used for gardening, it reduces or eliminates the need for chemical fertilizers, increases the water retention of soil, and aids in the growth of plants, which absorb carbon dioxide, provide shelter and food for local bees & wildlife, and will help you grow your own crops!

For more info about reducing your carbon footprint, check out our latest article!

What to Compost

While you might not think that you create enough waste to maintain a healthy compost pile, you’d be surprised to learn how much compostable matter gets thrown away on a daily basis (trust me, you’ll definitely have enough). The first thing that pops to mind with composting is kitchen scraps, this being anything from banana peels and strawberry stems to lettuce cores and carrot tops, and even leftover coffee grounds. All these scraps can be kept in a bowl or crock for convenience before being added to the actual compost bin. If you only feed your compost bin every few days, consider storing this bowl in the fridge or freezer to ensure that any bugs or smells don’t accumulate. Large chunks of food (or any material) take longer to break down than smaller pieces, so help your compost out and chop up any larger items like melon rinds, corn cobs, and even citrus & avocado peels.

Soiled cardboard, newspaper, napkins, and other paper products are another great thing to add to your compost, think greasy pizza boxes and sandwich paper. These paper based products, though often labeled as “recyclable”, will actually contaminate the recycling process as they’re covered in food residue. So skip the garbage & recycling bin altogether and cut these up into small pieces for your compost. Just be sure that anything you add isn’t lined with a plastic coating (if it’s shiny, it’s probably plastic).

If you have any compostable retail packaging, those can be used as well, but be sure that any bioplastics specifically say Backyard Compostable on them before adding to your bin! Many bioplastics are only Industrially or Commercially Compostable, meaning that they’ll only break down under extreme heat used in composting facilities. These industrially compostable products will behave just like regular plastic in your bin and won’t break down.

Other yard waste materials like grass clippings, small branches, dried twigs & leaves, and even dried up plants are perfect for composting as well. Any larger wood pieces will take longer to break down, so just chop them into small pieces before adding them. If you have clippings from weeds, invasive species, or diseased plants, it’s best to leave those out to protect the final compost fertilizer.

Avoid adding any synthetic plastic materials or bleached paper products to your compost, like most tea bags and parchment paper infused with silicone. These won’t break down and will just be putting a strain on your compost with their leaching chemicals. Dairy, meat & bones will take a long time to break down and will likely attract unwanted pests, so they should be left out as well. But save any leftover fish skins, and just bury these right in your garden bed underneath plants, they’re an amazing fertilizer and will really help your plants grow! Many people say to avoid putting citrus or onion peels into the compost due to their high acidity, but we’ve never had a problem composting these, even with tons of peels from thriving citrus trees.

To create a healthy compost bin, it’s a good idea to make a mental note of what you’re putting in and how much. Generally, you want to maintain a ratio of 2 parts “Brown” materials to 1 part “Green” materials. These Brown materials are high in Carbon while Green' materials are high in Nitrogen, both of which are vital for a healthy and happy compost. If you want to calculate the specific nitrogen & carbon levels of everything you put in, you can use the Cornell Compost Chemistry page to get just the right balance. If you’re less precise about the ratio, just remember to add more Brown than you added in Green. And to remember what items are in which category, if it’s damp and green in color (or any color for the fruit & veggies), then it’s likely Green & nitrogen based, and if it’s brown and dried out, then it’s Brown & carbon based.

How to Start?

When you first begin composting, there are a few things to know to help you get started. First off, while they’re a great resource to have, worms aren’t a necessary part of breaking down food & organic matter. All the organic matter can be broken down by microorganisms, bacteria, and fungal spores that are naturally present, though worms will definitely help the process go faster. So if you’re squeamish around worms, don’t worry, you can still compost, it might just take a bit longer! Next up, while composting is perfect for those with backyards and gardens, it can easily be done in an apartment, balcony, dorm room, you name it. All it takes is some attention and planning, and compost systems can be made anywhere. Finally, your compost doesn’t have to stink. When properly maintained and fed, your compost bin can exist without you ever even noticing it, meaning no flies, pests, or nasty smells.

To begin composting, you’ll need a bin to compost in. These bins should be durable & large enough to hold food scraps over a few months, and will change in size depending on the size of your household (holding anywhere from 10 - 40 gallons). You can buy a ready-made composting bin or make your own from plastic storage bins or old metal garbage cans and a well fitting lid. These bins should be opaque, as the worms and organisms work best in low-light environments. Drill some small holes all around the sides for ventilation, and you’re ready to start filling.

Finding a good place to keep your bin is also vital to its success. If you live in an apartment, try keeping it under the kitchen sink, or on the balcony if you have one. For a backyard compost, keep your bin in a sheltered, shaded environment so it’s protected from extreme temperatures. Prolonged exposure to extreme heat and cold can hurt your compost bin, it is a living ecosystem after all. In freezing temperatures, consider moving your bin into a tool shed or garage, or wrapping it with an old towel or blanket for insulation. In high heat environments (anything over 100°F), move your bin to a shaded area, and consider freezing your food scraps or adding some ice cubes to the bin (along with some Browns).

Start by filling your new bin with some Brown carbon-based bedding, this can be shredded newspaper & cardboard, leaves, or coconut coir. Next, add you Green nitrogen-based waste on top, being your used food scraps & coffee grounds. Add in your worms on top if you’re using them, along with some natural potting soil, and cover it up with more of your Brown materials. Congratulations, you officially have your own compost system!

Maintaining Your Bin

Just turn the pile over every few days to rotate the contents when you add more food scraps, and watch as it breaks down all the natural materials! It’s a good idea to always bury the fresh food scraps when rotating your bin, which can easily be done by adding extra Brown materials on top. The ideal consistency of your bin should be lightly dampened, not too dry or too wet.

A great tip is to cover your compost with a layer of unshredded newspaper or cardboard after turning, this will help keep the natural moisture in and any pests out, along with a lid. If you notice your compost getting too moist or water collecting in the bottom, increase the amount of Brown that you’re adding, as the paper and dried materials will help to soak up this excess liquid. On the other hand, if your bin is looking dry, try adding in more Green and lightly spraying the top with some water (if you add in too much water, balance it out with more Brown).

After a few months of routinely feeding and turning, you can begin harvesting from your compost pile! To separate your finished compost from the still digesting compost, you can start a second bin or divide your compost bin in half. If you make a second bin, leave the first bin for a few weeks or months to break down fully, only adding scraps to the new second bin, and occasionally moving some of the worms out of the first into the second. To divide your single bin, continue to turn and add food scraps on one side of the bin only, so the other side will be left to fully break down. Then when you’re ready to use your completed compost, just take it out of the bin, being sure to return any worms that might have escaped with it, and get planting! This compost is the perfect fertilizer to add to houseplant, garden beds, potted plants, trees, and more. Just mix 1 part compost with 2 parts potting soil, and plant away! By composting your own food scraps, you’ll save tons of money on expensive potting soils and natural fertilizers.

City-Wide Composting & Services

Photo from Compostable LA

While having your own compost system is fairly easy, it does require some time and effort that you might not be ready for, but there are still some composting solutions available to you! Just remember that every compost provider is different, so check what items they’ll accept in the compost to help them out.

It’s becoming more and more common for large cities to implement curb-side composting services along with the standard garbage and recycling pickup. Cities like San Francisco, Berkeley, Portland, Seattle, Denver, Boulder, and more have established city wide services in recent years that have helped greatly divert the amount of organic matter going into landfills. San Francisco became the first major city in the United States to put a municipal composting system into place back in 1996, with the city diverting 50 percent of landfill waste in 2000 (NRDC). Residents in New York City are working hard to get their city-wide composting system up and running again after it was shut down due to Covid-19, but are slowly picking up again as the city reopens.

Smaller cities all across the country are starting to add on these composting services to their regular trash collections and you may not even know it! Check out your local city’s website to see if these services are available to you. And if not, reach out to your city councillor and local official about setting up a program.

Along with these city-wide services, tons of smaller businesses are popping up centered around making composting easy and affordable for you! These services are a great way to divert waste from landfill, support a small local business, learn more about waste management, and help build a community. This can also be a great gift for friends or family members who need some help getting started on their low-waste living! These centers often have finished compost available for sale too, so if you need to bulk out your garden beds, they have the compost ready to use. Research online to see if there are any composting businesses in your area, or if a nearby school has a Composting Center in their Environmental Studies Program. Even better, ask your local zero waste shop about their favorite compost services, they’re sure to know a few!

If there aren’t any composting services in your area, don’t fret! Check out ShareWaste, a free community driven website & app that connects you to your composting neighbors. Here you can find locals who’ll take your compost for you, using the waste in their own backyard compost systems or as feed for chickens & other livestock. And if you start your own backyard compost, you can sign up as a host to start receiving more compostable goods from neighbors. Since it’s a community run system, you can find a composting neighbor anywhere across the world!

Other Ways to Reduce Food Waste

Even without composting, there are still a ton of ways that you can help reduce your food waste. Did you know that some produce can regenerate itself when planted? These can be used to make your own zero-waste garden, filled with onions, garlic, lettuce, you name it! Seeds from tomatoes, squash, berries, and more can be dried and planted, while many herbs are able to be propagated from cut stems.

Or consider saving your vegetable peels and stems to make your own homemade vegetable broth. And after boiling these veggies down, the remnants can still be added to your compost bin. This makes a great addition to any grains, soups, stews, & more, and is perfect for freezing and using later!

If you’re buying bulk goods & groceries, consider supporting a small, eco-friendly business that offers no packaging or backyard compostable options. It’s a great way to lower your waste while still getting to enjoy some delicious food! Arbor Teas offers bulk organic teas in backyard compostable packaging, while Sun & Swell Foods has a variety of grains, bean, and nuts in plastic-free packaging. Or if you’re in California, check out Zero Grocery, a zero-waste grocery delivery service in the Bay Area and Los Angeles Area, or Christine’s Cookie Co, a delicious cookie bakery with organic ingredients and compostable packaging.