Celebrating Learn About Composting Day: Different ways to compost
May 29 is Learn About Composting Day, a day to educate yourself and others about the simple, effective way of reducing household waste. Composting is important for many reasons: it helps divert organic waste from landfills, it enriches and improves soil structure, water retention, and aeration, and it is a form of recycling of organic carbon.
Composting involves decomposing organic materials such as kitchen scraps, yard waste, and other biodegradable materials. Green materials such as kitchen scraps or fresh yard waste are rich in nitrogen. In contrast, brown materials such as dried leaves, straw or newspaper are rich in carbon.
Different types of waste will be preferred for optimal results depending on the various different ways to compost you choose. There are many different ways to compost, which we will explore in this article.
Different Ways to Compost:
Backyard/ Home Composting
Backyard/home composting usually involves a backyard pile or a small enclosed bin. These systems mostly handle food scraps (except meat, bones and dairy products) and yard trimmings. The organic materials should be layered and mixed to allow for aeration and facilitate decomposition.
After the initial decomposition phase, the compost will take time to mature or cure, which can be used to enrich soil in gardens, flower beds, and landscaping projects.
Vermicomposting
Vermicomposting or worm composting relies on earthworms and microorganisms to break down the organic materials. This can be done in an indoor or outdoor compost system. Using worms means you do not have to aerate or turn the compost pile manually, as they will do that for you. One pound of mature worms can eat up to half a pound of organic material per day.
Bokashi Composting
Bokashi composting is an excellent way to compost indoors and repurpose your kitchen scraps. Food waste and anaerobic bacteria are layered into a specially designed bucket with an airtight lid and a tap at the bottom. The waste will start to ferment and will eventually become a nutrient-dense material. This byproduct can be used directly on your soil or added to a traditional compost pile.
Windrow Composting
Windrow composting is an excellent method for large-scale composting. It is generally used in the farming sector. Organic waste is made into rows of long piles called windrows. These piles are aerated by turning the piles manually or with machines. When it is done in an enclosed space, it provides oxygen using cooling machines.
Municipal Composting
Many cities have local government programs where yard trimmings or food scraps are collected from homes and businesses. These programs may be managed, funded, and operated at the level of a town, city, county, solid waste district, or a combination. They may involve contracts with private compost haulers or producers.
The compost can be distributed to local residents or landscapers and used in community gardens or parks. In some cases, composting facilities may also capture biogas (methane) produced during the decomposition process for energy generation.
There are many ways to celebrate Learn About Composting Day, which you can implement not just today but any day. Some of these ways include:
- Encouraging your family, friends, and neighbors to start composting.
- Checking out local workshops or events that promote composting.
- Joining a local garden or community garden’s composting activities.
- Organizing a clean-up event in your neighborhood to collect organic waste for composting.
- Take a trip to a local farm that uses composting as part of its sustainable farming practices.
- Challenge yourself to try new methods such as hot composting, vermicomposting, or bokashi composting.
- Write to your local officials to develop a composting program in your area.
There are many different ways to compost. Regardless of which you choose, repurposing your food and kitchen scraps is a great way to give back to the environment and the planet, so start composting today!
