Composting for Newbies

Happy Earth Day!

While there are endless things I could talk about today, I thought I'd hone in on one.

I have a confession.

I am a newbie composter.  As many efforts as we have made to be green around our home, composting has been kind of a holdout.  We have been taking our yard clippings to the county compost pile for ages.  But just now are we really starting to collect all of the materials that can be composted together.

Why?

• Our yard is the size of a postage stamp. We have no room for a bin or box or pile.
• I'd like for our neighbors to continue to like us and have worried about the possibility of a smell.  I know, I know, it's not supposed to smell.  But I still worry about it.
• Even if we did compost, I don't know what we'd do with all of it.  Did I mention our yard is the size of a postage stamp?  I don't really need that much organic material.

That said, even if you don't (or can't) have your own compost bin, I have realized that you can be an active composter by collecting more than just your yard clippings and taking it all to your community compost site.

First, let's start with just a sampling of the stuff you can compost.  Here are some of my favorites (as in things we generate plenty of):

• Coffee grounds (and filters)
• Tea Bags
• Used paper napkins, kleenex, paper towels, paper plates (non-waxy) and paper bags
• Pizza boxes (rip them up first)
• Old bread and plain pasta
• Paper egg cartons
• Paper muffin cups
• Hair and pet fur
• Dryer lint and vacuum cleaner lint (I love this one!)
• 100% wool or cotton materials
• Pencil shavings

And some fun compost-related ideas:

1. Buy a mini Compost Pail from Crate and Barrel

We received one of these for Christmas as a gift and I love it.  It's attractive to look at (for a compost bin) and comes with charcoal-filters so there are no odors.

You just keep it in your kitchen and toss any and all compost-able materials in it.  When it fills up, add it to your bag of yard clippings and bring it to your compost site. I am amazed by how much less we are running the disposal and emptying the trash.

2. Eat Sun Chips

Okay, sounds silly, but have you seen their new 100% compostable chip bags?  SunChips has come up with a way to create a chip bag that, in just 14 weeks, will be completely composted.  Only downside is that the bags are loud.  Like really loud.  Not while composting, but while you grab handfuls of chips and shove them into your face eat out of them.  But, looking at the bright side of that, you'll also be less tempted to sneak some when no one is looking.

Now if only they could figure out a way to make a chip that didn't leave a trace on my hips!


3. Do mini-composting on your own
I posted a few weeks ago about creative uses for egg cartons.

One of the tips I had come across was to save the shell halves and put them back in the carton.

Then you drop the seeds in and cover them with dirt.

Then just care for them as you would other seedlings.  Once they sprout, you cut the carton apart and plant each section, in its entirety, in the ground.

Did you do an Earth Day post?  Link it up here, then grab the code and throw it on your blog so we can all share the great tips, ideas and information.