When you toss banana peels and coffee grounds in the trash, they don’t just disappear. They pile up in landfills.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Nearly 40% of what we discard can be composted and used to grow healthy food and thriving ecosystems instead.
Whether you have acres of land or no backyard, there is an entry point for everyone on their compost journey. Here are three ways to start.
Curbside Green Bins
Green bins are the gateway to composting — the simplest and most convenient way to keep organic waste out of our landfill.
Leftover food scraps, yard trimmings, and food-soiled paper can all go in your curbside green bin. Once your green bin is full and picked up, it’s hauled to a composting facility and turned into nutrient-rich compost and mulch.
The County of San Diego hosts giveaways, making it easy for San Diegans to bring compost and mulch back to their gardens. Because our soil lacks essential nutrients, adding compost improves plant growth and supports backyard biodiversity.
Compost is also used for erosion control on our hilly landscapes and to keep San Diego parks green.
If you’re worried about the “ick factor” of composting, try freezing food scraps or adding them to your green bin in a paper bag to minimize the mess and smell. You can also layer yard trimmings and food waste to help keep your bin cleaner.
Check out these green bin tips for the summer.
Vermicomposting
If you don’t have access to a green bin and don’t have outdoor space, look no further than under your kitchen sink. It’s the perfect spot to compost with the help of worms.
Create a damp environment by combining shredded paper, a bit of soil, and water.
Now, it’s time to add your worms. Red wrigglers are recommended because of their ability to speedily consume waste.
After the worms adjust to their new home for a few days, start adding vegetable and food scraps, crushed eggshells and coffee grounds, once a week. Layer food scraps with paper like you’re making lasagna.
As the worms break your food scraps down, move everything to one side of the bin and start a new layer on the other side. Your worms will make their way to the fresh food scraps, and in no time, you’ll have a steady supply of rich compost.
Check out this handy DIY worm bin guide for more details on getting started with vermicomposting.
Backyard Compost
Ready to roll up your sleeves and transform your backyard into your own compost facility?
The ingredients:
Greens
- Food scraps
- Coffee grounds
- Fresh grass clippings
- Horse, cow, and chicken manure
Browns
- Dry leaves, grasses and dead plant clippings
- Shredded paper and cardboard
- Wood chips and pine needles
Water & Air
The recipe:
- Use a wooden bin or a hole in the ground to start your compost pile
- Layer greens and browns
- Add 1-3 times the volume of browns to the greens
- Add water to make your pile damp
- Turn every 1-2 weeks
From trash to treasure
With the right dedication and balance of greens and browns, your compost pile will be ready to go in 3-6 months. It’s almost ready once your pile smells like a forest and is dark and crumbly. Leave it to finish for one more month, and it’s time to rock!
Mix into your garden beds, add to potted plants or use while planting trees and growing veggies. Now, you’re a compost pro. You’ve closed the loop between your food waste and the soil that sustains us.
Find more composting resources from the County of San Diego here and here.
