Create a compost
Make your own composting bin at home.
Don’t let those food scraps slide into your trash can! Food composting lowers your carbon footprint by reducing methane emissions from landfills. Plus, you’ll create a special fertilizer that will help your garden grow. Here’s how to create your own composting bin at home with tips from This Book Stinks!: Gross Garbage, Rotten Rubbish, and the Science of Trash by Sarah Wassner Flynn.
Talk to Your Family
Composting is a family affair! You’ll want everyone on board to make it all run smoothly.
Buy a Bin
To keep smells (and critters) away, you’ll want to invest in a composting bin (a trash-can-size bucket with a lid) from a hardware store.
Gather Your Greens (And Browns)
To create the right reaction in your bin, you need a mix of greens (food waste, grass clippings) and browns (yard waste, newspapers). First, get together your browns, chopping or shredding the larger pieces.
Layer It
Add the browns to your bin, then put the greens on top. Keep the contents damp by lightly watering them with a hose or watering can.
Keep Turning
As you add stuff to your bin, be sure to have an equal amount of browns and greens, alternating between the layers. Turn or mix your bin every time you add more waste.
Time is Right
Depending on what’s inside your bin and how often you turn the contents over, you’ll likely have compost within a few months. You’ll know it’s ready when it’s dark brown and crumbly and smells like soil—not rotting vegetables.