How to Compost in
3 steps
Here’s a little secret: anyone can compost regardless of where they live. With the right ingredients and proper care, you can turn your old food and waste into the best soil around.
Choosing the correct ingredients for your compost bin is crucial for it to function effectively. It’s important to strike the right balance between “green” nitrogen-rich material like old food scraps and yard waste, and “brown” carbon rich material like fallen leaves and old newspaper.
When properly prepared and in the right ratio, these materials create the perfect environment for bacteria and worms to thrive, turning what would be waste into valuable compost. Follow this list of compostable categories to ensure that your compost pile remains healthy and productive.
Choose the Right Compost Ingredients
Turn Your Pile Regularly
Once you make your bin and fill it with the proper ingredients, it’s easy to forget to maintain the mixture. Just like other living organisms, the bacteria in compost needs oxygen to survive, so it’s important to turn the mixture about once a week. Without proper ventilation, the bacteria in the middle of the pile will slow down the process, thus producing less heat. An easy way to tell whether a compost pile needs turning is its internal temperature. Regularly turning your pile provides a series of benefits including:
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