You’ve finished preparing dinner, and as you clean up have you ever thought of composting kitchen scraps?
We all have heard about the benefits of using compost in our gardens. Compost adds nutrients and feeds plants and cuts down on chemical fertilizers in the environment. It also retains soil moisture, supports beneficial bacteria and limits weeds.
If you have a yard, it’s easy to compost your grass clippings and other healthy yard waste in a pile or barrel, but what about trying food-cycling?
As you prepare your food, be mindful of scraps that can go right into the composter.
DO Compost
- Eggshells (crushed please, no eggs)
- Fruits and vegetables (remove stickers from peels)
- Homegrown veggie garden greens/plant waste
- Grain and grain products like bread, crusts, noodles
- Coffee grounds and filters, teabags
- Nutshells
Do NOT Compost
- Meat and meat by-products – bones, skin etc.
- Fish, seafood or seafood shells
- Dairy products like cheese, butter, yogurt
- Oils, fats, lard
Some cities, like Seattle, require residents to recycle certain food waste and other compostable material in yard waste bins, but why give this resource away?
Composting kitchen scraps not only helps create nutrient-filled natural material, it reduces the amount of waste that enters our landfills. It also decreases the amount of greenhouse gasses that are released when it is processed in your yard as opposed to decaying in a landfill.
When you are cooking at home, consider composting kitchen scraps.
First – you need to find a spot to store scraps, (typically on your countertop or under the sink). Depending on the amount of scraps you generate, you can use a covered bowl, or a larger covered bucket. There are some cute countertop compost pails that go from basic to fancy, some with removable interior buckets and charcoal filters, so find one that works best for you.
Before adding your scraps to your compost pile or bin – here are two tips for composting kitchen scraps success:
- Chop it up. Smaller pieces break down faster.
- Dig deep. Bury your chopped up scraps to discourage attracting neighborhood critters.
You’ll find that composting kitchen scraps is super-easy and soon you will have rich, compost your plants will love! Good for you and the environment!
