You’ve whipped up an incredible meal for your family. Naturally, you have some vegetable or bread scraps you didn’t use. You don’t want to throw them in the garbage. Then a thought enters your mind - COMPOSTING!
Did you know 40 percent of food in the United States today goes uneaten? This means we throw out about $165 billion of food each year!
Read on for ways to start your compost pile at home and put your food waste to good use!
Start your kitchen compost pile by placing a lidded bucket or small pail with a lid under your sink or on your countertop.
Now you are ready to start composting. You will need to determine what items you can add to your composting pile. Not everything you eat is good for a compost pile, so pay attention as you are depositing. Try composting these common household items:
When your kitchen container is full, dump it into your outdoor compost pile using layering techniques. Make sure this pile is in a shaded area.
Layering creates diversity in nutrients and microbes and helps your pile break down faster!
Most kitchen scraps can be used in a compost pile, but stay away from saving meats, fats, oils, dairy products, and bones. These items are slow to break down, tend to attract pesky raccoons and create nasty odors.
Because no two compost piles are alike, the timeline of the composting process varies. It depends on the size of the pile, materials in the pile and how often you turn it. With frequent turning, your pile can be ready in as little as 3 months!
You’ll l know it’s ready to use when it becomes dark brown and crumbly. You should not be able to recognize what it originally was.