I am not going to drop statistic bombs about how much garbage we toss away every minute or annually, but I will say that we throw a lot of garbage away; garbage that could be transformed into black, garden gold (think of the cost of conventional fertilizers). We all generate waste, but with a few fun steps we can transform a percentage of that organic waste into kitchen compost: an investment in the environment and our gardens.
Kitchen Compost In a Nutshell
When we sit down and eat a meal, usually there are small tidbits (sometimes more) that are left over. These can range from grains, to vegetables, to meat scraps, and anything under the culinary sun.
This is kitchen compost.
Some scraps are better to compost than others, depending on what kind of organic compost system you have arranged in your home. There are a variety of options.
- Classic compost: in this case you need to separate out dairy, cheese, meat, and any other scraps that can go rancid.
- Red Worm Compost: put worms to work for you. Break down compost and create super rich castings that create a fertility boom in your garden. Just like classic compost, no dense protein foods.
- Bokashi composting: A Japanese composting sensation that has the most potential when it comes to in-home, kitchen compost. The beauty of this system is that you can compost anything (no separating). Fermentation process that is different than classic compost. No smells!
- Black Soldier Fly Compost Bin: Another new concept in composting using the larvae of the black soldier fly to consume your kitchen compost down to nothing. Urban chicken farmers will get a protein kick out of this composting system. These larvae can scarf down anything; so don’t sweat separation.
Step 1: The Kitchen Compost Pail
Get yourself a kitchen compost catch-all that will act as a storage device. Some people use old coffee cans and some choose to invest in a nice kitchen compost pail that is decorative and functional. Either way you go, this is your intermediary between the plate and your next composting step. Depending on your kitchen compost system, you may have to do some separating. If you have an in-kitchen Bokashi bin, you can just plop your scraps right in.
Step 2: Transfer to Home Composter
When your pail gets full, move it to the next destination; it may be a red worm compost bin, back-yard home composter, or black soldier fly compost bin.
Step 3: Reap the benefits
The beauty in composting is that there is very little sweat equity investment (unless you want to be a compost pile person and turn the old fashioned way) because you have time, worms, or fermentation do all the work and you reap kitchen compost-garden gold—take a peek at your local hardware fertilizer section and scope the costs!
If you wonder sometimes when you are dealing with kitchen compost, like scraping the plates into the compost pail or feeding your worms “Why am I doing this?” think about how you are casting a vote for the future beauty of the world and a bumper crop of homegrown veggies.
If you like this Kitchen Compost article, click here for our Envirocycle Composter review.