Did you know that when you combine our food scraps and yard waste together, they make up more than 30 percent of what we throw away in the trash? I mean seriously, 30 percent! This is such a high percentage, which could be totally reduced by composting! We can do better than this, plus there are so many cool benefits that come from composting, so, that’s why I’ve put together a basic guide for anyone looking to start up this great hobby!
Compost Storage
There are two types of composting, indoor and outdoor. For indoor composting, it is best to buy an actual composting bin. Many places like target, Walmart, and Amazon all sell composting bins and have plenty of options. The main tip if you use indoor composting is to make sure to keep the area clean and manageable so that it won’t attract any pest. As far as outdoor composting goes, you can use a variety of things to make a bind, wooden planks, bricks, whatever works for you should be fine. Just make sure that you choose a dry, shady spot for your compost.
Getting Started
To get a compost bin started, there are three things required, browns, greens, and water. Browns include things such as dead leaves, tree branches, and twigs. These things are in charge of providing carbon in your compost.
Greens are pretty obvious. Materials such as grass clippings, vegetable scraps/waste, fruit scraps, and coffee grounds are all part of the green category. Green materials provide nitrogen for your compost.
Water is important for composting because the moisture is there to help break down the organic matter in the compost.
Benefits of Composting
There are many benefits to composting. First, composting plays a very positive role in our ability to naturally enrich our soil by helping the soil retain moisture and to limit plant disease. Because of all of this, composting reduces the need to use chemical fertilizers, which is absolutely necessary. Composting also promotes and encourages the production of beneficial bacteria and fungi.
Finally, one of the biggest benefits is that by composting, it helps reduce methane emissions from landfills and drumroll please…..LOWERS YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT!!
So, it is clear that composting is one of the best ways to really enhance your sustainable lifestyle and a great hobby to take up as well. However, it isn’t just a hobby, it’s growing in our restaurant industry. In fact, on the local end, many restaurants in Austin have started to switch to using compostable to-go containers, awesome right!? It is so important that we stay committed to continuously work towards a lower and lower carbon footprint and composting is an awesome way to do so! I mean, now that you know the basics, aren’t you SO ready to get started?!
Sources
https://mashable.com/article/beginners-guide-to-composting/
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/composting/basics/ultimate-beginners-guide-composting.htm