How to Compost at Home
Waste is a human invention. We are the ONLY creatures on earth that don’t live a zero waste existence. THE RESULT? Over 60 billion pounds of mineral-rich food materials unnecessarily go to landfills each year in the U.S. alone.
Become a composting household and divert your family’s food waste from a landfill into compost. Use this guide to get started!
Turn your trash into a valuable soil building resource!
Trash in a landfill produces more greenhouse gas than in a compost bin. Composting at home can not only supercharge your garden, it can play a role in reversing climate change.
Don't have space to compost at home?
Use your green bin or a worm composter for inside.
No green bin? Ask your local representative! Most green bins take all food scraps except meat, dairy, and bones—and remember, never put toxic or non-compostable items in.
The game changer for composting at home or in a green bin:
Put scraps in your freezer!
At room temperature, food scraps in a container can break down anaerobically (liquify) causing smell, flies, and can make dumping it in your bin kind of gross.
In the freezer, food scraps don’t break down! That means no smell, no flies, and no grossness when dumping in your compost bin or green bin outside.
Composting Basics
Whether you build a small pile all at once or add food scraps each day, the basic components of healthy compost are the same: a diverse mix of greens (nitrogen-based), browns (carbon-based), air (let it breathe), and water (keep it moist).
A simple 50/50 mix of greens & browns
Remember to balance in VOLUME, not weight.
Keep your compost pile moist and turn it occasionally to allow air flow
If there are unpleasant odors, add browns, mix, and make sure food scraps remain covered with browns.
Keep it covered!
Prevent pests and smells by always covering your food scraps with browns.
Your compost is ready...
After about 3-4 months, the bottom of your compost pile should be ready for harvesting. You’ll know when the starting materials are unrecognizable, it’s a dark chocolate brown color, and smells like the forest floor after a rain.
Using compost will help your plants grow and your soil thrive!
As your soil improves, you will use less water and you won’t need fertilizers or pesticides. If you are growing food, it will taste better, be more nutritious, and be hyperlocal.
Want to get involved in the movement? Take Regenerative Agriculture Essentials, our 90-minute, on-demand course designed for individuals and teams to better understand, embrace, and inspire others to join the regenerative conversation.
