Today we’re talking about an essential piece of the food waste puzzle: how to start composting.
While we’re working toward buying less and using everything we buy, there’s always going to be some food waste. Whether it’s inedible scraps from produce or leftovers that got lost in the back of the fridge, food waste happens.
The good thing is we have a much better solution for that waste than landfilling it.
When we landfill food, it produces methane, a greenhouse gas that’s 28–36 times more effective than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere.
Composting, on the other hand, eliminates that extra source of methane production. Plus, it has a whole host of other benefits.
Compost helps to:
- Reduce the need for chemical fertilizers
- Enhance the soil’s ability to retain water
- Improve soil quality
- Promote higher yields of agricultural crops
- Sequester carbon in the soil
- And more!
So you’re wondering how to start composting. Where do you begin?
I want to make my own compost at home
You have a few options for composting at home. Most people opt for a backyard bin (which you can buy or DIY) or a worm composting set-up.
A backyard compost bin can handle all your vegetable and fruit scraps but needs a little more regular maintenance than worm composting.
Worm composting can happen inside or outside, is mostly hands-off, and is virtually odorless, but it can’t handle as many foods as a traditional backyard bin.
Check out these how-to guides to help you get started composting at home:
- Composting can help fight climate change. Get started in 5 easy steps (NPR)
- Composting at Home (EPA)
- Home Composting Basics (Institute for Local Self-Reliance)
- Composting is easier than you think. Here’s how to get started (The Washington Post)
I want someone else to manage my compost
Don’t have the space or inclination to figure out how to start composting? You can still compost your food scraps! Plus, you’ll have the benefit of being able to compost meat, bones, and cooked food, which are generally no good in a backyard or worm bin.
Sign up for one of these local compost pick-up services:
- Midtown Composting offers weekly residential pickup services for about $20 per month. They service Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties. Sign up today.
- Scrap Soils is a Detroit-based composting service that picks up and does its composting right in Detroit. Subscribe for $15 per month + a one-time $15 sign up fee. Get on their waitlist to start composting with them in September.