Composting 101: Caring for the Planet One Celery Stick at a Time

Over the last decade, we’ve become more and more conscious of our food waste. In a 2015 survey, 77% of people said they felt guilty about wasting food. 

TBH, that guilt is entirely justified. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency projects that 22% of all landfill waste is food. That might not seem like a big deal because, after all, food is (eventually) biodegradable. But as food waste breaks down, it creates a ton of methane. And if there were a Most Destructive Greenhouse Gases competition, methane would totally kick carbon dioxide’s ass. It’s a real problem.

Thankfully, we have plenty of opportunities to reduce our kitchen waste:

• Avoid buying too much.
• Make a shopping list.
• Develop a weekly menu.
• Freeze extras.
• Don’t hit the drive-thru on the way home from spending $150 at the supermarket. (Guilty!)

We’ll cover those tips in more detail in a future post, but today, we want to talk about one of the most environmentally friendly ways you can reduce, reuse, and recycle your unused groceries: composting.

What’s composting?

Composting is the “natural process of recycling organic matter … into a valuable fertilizer that can enrich soil and plants.” 

Over time, your decomposing waste—yard trimmings, leaves, mulch, paper products, food scraps, and other plant-based materials—becomes a garden’s best friend. Compost can make just about any soil more fertile, efficient, and healthy.

And better soil does a whole lot for our environment and economy. If you’d like to know the science of it all, check out The 15 Benefits of Composting for the Environment, the Economy, & Our Communities

by Grow Ensemble. But here’s the TL;DR version of the benefits of composting:

• Protects and treats plant disease and nutrient deficiencies
• Revitalizes and filters local water sources
• Prevents the use of harsh chemicals and artificial fertilizers
• Controls soil erosion
• Reduces methane emissions caused by food and yard waste
• Replenishes carbon in the soil
• Decreases landfill costs
• Transforms food waste into a valuable resource
• Lowers farming production costs
• Creates new, green jobs

Sounds terrific, right? But if you’re anything like us, you’re all, “OK, super duper, but how do I actually DO it? Like, without releasing all those methane emissions into my kitchen?”

12 Tips for Composting in Denver

#1 Start with the right container.

There are approximately a bazillion different ways to compost: piles, open bottom bins, open top containers, tumbler bins, using worms, burying directly in the soil, and more. Most people don’t want a steaming heap of compost in their backyards, so they opt for some kind of container.

Plastic stationary bins are most common. About 3 cubic feet in size, stationary bins are great for continuous or layer composting. In this composting method, you routinely add new layers of material on top of one another and mix it all up every week or so until it’s ready to be used. 

Tumblers are also popular, especially for batch composting. To batch compost, you accumulate enough material to fill the bin, then rotate every day or two until it becomes usable compost. While these are more expensive, tumblers can speed up the process and create “black gold” in as little as three weeks.

Other people prefer a small, indoor container they take to a community composting location once a week.

Choose the right container based on how much organic matter you plan to have, how much space you have for the container, and how quickly you want a finished product.

#2 Get shady.

Composting involves a delicate dance of temperature and moisture. If you’re keeping your bin outside, pick a dry, shady spot for the perfect balance. If you keep your scraps indoors before transferring to a larger pile, opt for a cooler, drier place to keep the smell at bay.

 #3 Know what you can and can’t compost!

In general, anything that comes from the ground can be tossed in your compost bin. Uncoated, shredded cardboard, paper, and newspaper may also be fair game. 

Avoid anything that might be harmful to future foliage, like charcoal ashes, pet waste, yard trimmings treated with pesticides, or diseased plants. Also steer clear of composting animal products, which create odor and attract pests. 

If you plan to participate in Denver Composts, pay special attention to the program requirements.

#4 Start with a strong foundation.

The key to perfectly damp compost is allowing any extra moisture to drain out the bottom of your pile. Inside your container, build a base layer of straw or twigs, at least a few inches high. This will allow for excess water to pass through as needed.

#5 Build layers on layers on layers.

Two of the necessary ingredients for usable compost are carbon and nitrogen. Carbon comes from brown materials, which are dry, tough, fibrous, and (you guessed it) brown. Nitrogen is derived from green materials, like kitchen scraps, lawn trimmings, or coffee grounds.

For home composting, three-parts brown to one-part green usually does the trick. Too much brown material and you’ll have a dry, slow-going compost. Too much green gives you a wet, stinky mess. 

Layering each type of material, and watering in between, allows for a more balanced environment.

#6 The smaller the better!

Most of your green material will be food waste. That’s probably why you’re composting in the first place, right? The trick to getting the most out of your scraps is to keep them pretty small. As a general guideline, don’t add anything thicker than a finger to your compost bin.

#7 Don’t forget to aerate.

Another ingredient for healthy compost is oxygen. This can be introduced by turning or aerating the mixture. Aerate your outdoor bin by turning with a shovel or pitchfork every five days to two weeks, depending on how soon you want usable compost.

#8 Water, water, water.

Especially in hot summer months, check on your bin often. Moisture is essential for the decomposition process! Your compost should feel like a damp sponge—wet enough to notice, but not so wet that you can squeeze water out of it.

#9 Shoo flies!

Fruit flies will inevitably find your outdoor compost bin. While a few won’t do any harm, one fly easily becomes hundreds. And those hundreds will likely find their way inside to seek fresher food. To control fruit flies, try:

• Increasing your carbon-rich, brown materials.
• Making or buying a fruit fly trap.
• Boiling your food waste to make it less appetizing.
• Spreading out the time between each addition to your bin.
• Using an indoor compost keeper to collect small scraps, later adding to an outdoor pile.

#10 Keep away other pests and critters.

Nobody wants a family of racoons or possums showing up in the middle of the night. To make your compost bin less enticing, finish your layering with brown material. And, again, stay away from composting animal products!

#11 Know when it’s done then use it for everything!

Your compost is ready when it’s homogenous, crumbly, smooth, cool, dark, and smells like rich, recently rained-on soil. Once it’s done, use it for:

• Mulch
• Potting soil
• Lawn care
• Garden beds
• Potted plant feed

Or, if you’re not the gardening type, give your compost to a local farmer or community collection center!

#12 Have fun!

Don’t stress. Composting doesn’t have to be a high maintenance, super scientific, goal-oriented chore! Everything decomposes with time, so there’s no real way to screw this up.