How To Turn Kitchen Waste Into A Compost

The average house throws away around 500 kgs of Kitchen Waste per year. The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has stated that scraps of food and yard products make up around 30% of waste in combustion facilities. Adopting a more wasteless approach can quickly turn waste into profit with a few simple steps that don’t always require a special composter nor an expensive container.

In the past few years, many people have realized the importance of following the 3 Rs to stop being wasteful and adopt a greener approach. Composting is the most natural way to recycle leftovers, kitchen waste, and yard products. By learning how to compost, you are killing two birds with one stone. You get to help the environment and reduce your carbon footprint while enriching the soil for your favorite plants to grow at the same time. Here is everything to know about the different ways to turn your kitchen waste into compost.

What Is Compost?

To simplify the answer, think of compost as anything organic. Anything that was once alive will eventually decompose and turn into compost. You could say that regardless of the problem your soil is suffering from, whether it’s waterlogging or there is not enough water, it still could use compost; it’s essentially a soil improver.

While everything organic eventually turns to compost, this doesn’t mean that a banana peel would take as much time as a tree trunk to decompose. Usually, the first items to break down in all kitchen waste are leafy greens as they are already rich in fibers. To quicken the process of decomposing, you can always cut down the size of your items. Meats and dairy products are the slowest items to break down.

Composting Methods

People who enjoy cooking need to pay attention to composting as they are probably producing an abundance of waste every day. There are different methods and products to use, but composting is a straightforward process that doesn’t require much experience or knowledge. Understanding the basics is enough for you to create the perfect soil improver for your plants. All you need is a shovel, patch of dirt, and kitchen waste, and you are good to start composting.

When trying to make your own compost, the important thing is to dig at least 8 inches for the food scraps. This way, you will prevent animals from digging out and feasting on your waste. Chopping up the leftovers leaves more room for bacteria to quicken the decomposing process. You will also need a garbage disposal. To pick the most suitable one out of the best garbage disposals available, make sure to list your needs and budget first. This way, you will know what to look for exactly.

Use Your Blender

Other than cutting your food scraps into smaller pieces, there are different ways to speed up the process of decomposing. The easiest and most effective way is to use the blender. When you blend your food scraps together, you are breaking down the material into a slurry. You can go the extra mile by adding your mix to a garden bin.

However, take care not to throw in the mix you are blending anything that might cause damage, such as mango pits or avocado pieces. You will maintain your blender blades for longer. Blending and storing in a designated garbage disposal will increase the rate of decay.

Do You Have Permission?

It’s hard to believe if you live outside these places, but some cities might stand against composting kitchen waste at home. There is a logical reason why some districts might not grant permission for this act – because of the growing concern over attracting more rodents and vermin to the district. To prevent increasing the number of raccoons, opossums, scavengers, it’s always better to dig deeper holes for food scraps. However, what is more, important is ensuring that your city is okay with this little home project.

What can be Composted?

While a lot of things coming out of your kitchen can be composted, not everything can. It will do your efforts more harm than good if you are not composting the right kind of kitchen waste, so it’s always better to have a list of what you should and shouldn’t attempt to compost. Even though all compost has to be biodegradable, not every biodegradable material should be composted.

Materials to Avoid when Composting

Meat, bones, fat, fish, dairy, animal waste, and oils are all materials you want to steer away from when you’re composting. The problem with such materials is that they either take too long to break down, causing them to have a strong, pungent smell, or they can attract other pesky creatures to your area. Avoid adding them to your compost as much as possible because they will also drag the time needed to compost suitable materials. As long as you make sure these ingredients are out of your compost, you can compost any other organic material from your kitchen waste.

Composting Foods

You shouldn’t have a lot of trouble distinguishing between good and bad materials for composting in your kitchen, especially if you use a caddy for storing waste until you use it in the composter. You can compost any type of fruits and vegetables, even if they are moldy or a bit rotten. Flour in all its variants, such as noodles or bread, can be used, too. You can use eggshells as long as you grind them. Ensure that the food waste doesn’t contain grease or animal products before adding it to the compost pile.

We all carry the weight of learning how to become more responsible as citizens. Since we have been learning more about our planet’s environmental issues, it only makes sense to do our best to minimize our waste and adopt greener approaches. Composting is the best start, especially because it’s highly beneficial for growing plants, and it’s also better for the planet as a whole. Our guide will help have a more self-sustainable and greener lifestyle.

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