I've been thinking alot lately about trash. About the voluminous amount we create each year, most of which goes into a landfill. There is a better way to deal with much of our waste, and that is composting. Did you know that 24% of the U.S. municipal solid waste system consists of material that could be composted? 8-10% of city trash is compostable vegetable matter that could be composted and return as nutrients to the soil.
There are basically three types of composting. Ground contact, sealed and worm bins. Ground contact is not recommended for city living because of pets and rodents getting into the pile. Worm bins is another option that I will explore some other time. The easiest and cleanest, but not the cheapest, is a sealed bin. These vary in price from $150 to $400. They can also be found on e-bay or craigslist for a lot less. Yes, they can. I just checked out craigslist. You can buy a 55 barrel, perfect for composting, for only $20. You would also need to get a pitchfork to turn the mixture and aerate. You also need to decide whether to do hot or cold composting, cold being the easiest, but slower than hot composting. I think cold composting is the perfect way to get started for very little money.
This afternoon I went over to my friend Lynda's house to see her composting setup. She has been composting for two years, and has both red worm bins and a traditional compost heap. She showed me how to get started. It's very simple to do. All you do is have a bowl in your kitchen into which you put all your vegetable scraps, coffee grinds, egg shells and such. When it's full you throw it in the composter with stuff from your garden: straw, leaves, grass. Add a little newspaper and a little water, and turn it every few days as you add new things. The compost pile needs to be aerated, so it must be in a container that has air vents or turned with a fork and fluffed up. It does not smell, so don't worry about that. In a few months you'll have the most beautiful material you can imagine, that can be used as a soil ammendment or mulch. If you do nothing, the compost will take about one year or more to break down. That's why you need the pitchfork,and a little water to keep it moist. Lynda told me she has reduced her family's trash to one small bag per week.
I'm inspired to do this NOW. I'm going on Craigslist (http://www.craigslist.org/) right now to look for a used composter. If you go on the internet and explore, you will find other container options for your compost at reasonable prices in the San Diego area. Such an easy thing to do, such a difference it can make.
There are basically three types of composting. Ground contact, sealed and worm bins. Ground contact is not recommended for city living because of pets and rodents getting into the pile. Worm bins is another option that I will explore some other time. The easiest and cleanest, but not the cheapest, is a sealed bin. These vary in price from $150 to $400. They can also be found on e-bay or craigslist for a lot less. Yes, they can. I just checked out craigslist. You can buy a 55 barrel, perfect for composting, for only $20. You would also need to get a pitchfork to turn the mixture and aerate. You also need to decide whether to do hot or cold composting, cold being the easiest, but slower than hot composting. I think cold composting is the perfect way to get started for very little money.
This afternoon I went over to my friend Lynda's house to see her composting setup. She has been composting for two years, and has both red worm bins and a traditional compost heap. She showed me how to get started. It's very simple to do. All you do is have a bowl in your kitchen into which you put all your vegetable scraps, coffee grinds, egg shells and such. When it's full you throw it in the composter with stuff from your garden: straw, leaves, grass. Add a little newspaper and a little water, and turn it every few days as you add new things. The compost pile needs to be aerated, so it must be in a container that has air vents or turned with a fork and fluffed up. It does not smell, so don't worry about that. In a few months you'll have the most beautiful material you can imagine, that can be used as a soil ammendment or mulch. If you do nothing, the compost will take about one year or more to break down. That's why you need the pitchfork,and a little water to keep it moist. Lynda told me she has reduced her family's trash to one small bag per week.
I'm inspired to do this NOW. I'm going on Craigslist (http://www.craigslist.org/) right now to look for a used composter. If you go on the internet and explore, you will find other container options for your compost at reasonable prices in the San Diego area. Such an easy thing to do, such a difference it can make.
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