How to Compost at Home to Reduce Your Family's Food Waste

Here are the answers to everything you've always wondered about composting. When you’re cooking dinner on a weeknight, you might not think twice about the carrot tops, potato skins, or cracked eggshells you chuck in your trash can. But what if you could take those items that you think of as “garbage” and turn them into something that can help give you a thriving garden? The USDA estimates that a mind-boggling 30% to 40% of the country’s food supply is wasted due to food spoilage, grocery stores ordering too much food, and consumers buying more than they can eat. However, there's one way that people can prevent sending these leftover bits of food to the landfill.

Learning how to compost at home is a great way to repurpose these discarded pieces of food. Banana peels, coffee grounds, and spoiled veggies can all be saved instead of thrown away and turned into beautiful, nutrient-rich soil by composting. Because composting can seem like a daunting task at first, we’ve compiled everything beginners need to know to help both the Earth and your garden.

Why should you compost?

While the first answer you might think of is that we compost to reduce waste, it’s more than that. By turning organic material into compost rather than sending it to landfills, you're helping reduce your carbon footprint. On an immediate level, composting can also help your garden flourish. Compost can be added to soil to improve the quality of plants because it’s made from organic waste and will eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers.

What can I compost?

Some things that you can compost might be obvious, like fruits, vegetables, and eggshells, which are considered “greens,” as their microorganisms help encourage decomposition. But it’s also vital that you have “browns,” which are dry ingredients that keep your compost pile from becoming a sopping mess and encourage aeration. For these, you can toss in non-organic materials like shredded newspapers, tea bags, dried leaves, and even pet fur. The Environmental Protecting Agency has a full list of compostable items on its website, but it’s also important to be aware of what you can’t compost. Dairy, meat, and fish products are off-limits because the smell will attracts rats and flies.

How do I set up a composting bin?

The first step is to pick an outdoor space big enough to fit a bin, at least three square feet. You can choose between an open or closed bin, depending on how much you care about odor or appearance. An old trash can or wooden chest will do or you can just build a pile of compost without any barriers. However, my experience is that a special place to compost will give you just a little more interest to get the job down!

How do I make compost?

Before you go chucking all your old fruits and vegetables into a pile in your backyard, know that the way you compost has to be deliberate. Therefore, find an airtight bin you can keep indoors that will hold your food scraps until you're ready to add them to your compost pile. When starting to build the pile, it’s recommended to keep greens and browns items equal. So for every dry piece of waste you have, like leaves, make sure to balance it out with something organic, like lettuce. NPR also reports that the ratio can vary from three to four parts brown, one part green, to a two to one ratio. It can become a trial and error process, but just make sure that you have more dry ingredients than wet. Layering is key to composting, so you can go ahead and take turns with green and brown layers, ideally at least an inch or two per layer.

How long does it take to compost?

Any newbie composter will have to be patient while waiting for that glorious, fluffy soil to form. It could take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months for decomposition to happen, depending on the weather and your soil’s consistency. You’ll want to turn the mixture over every one to two weeks with a shovel or garden fork. If you notice your soil is too wet, add some dry ingredients to it, and vice versa. The goal is for your compost to look and smell like soil.

What if I can’t make a compost pile?

If you want to compost but are lacking in the outdoor space, you might still be able to take part. Find out if your town does a compost collection, or if there’s a local community garden or farm that would accept your compost scraps. Good composting and thanks for helping the environment and your gardens!