Although it may seem insignificant to toss orange peels or coffee grounds present in the trash, food waste sent to landfills can have a significant effect on environmental change. Greenhouse gas methane is produced when food waste is entangled without air. It’s 80 times additional potent than Co2 in the brief term.
Even though we strive to reduce food scrap in the kitchens.
It will always have banana peels, cores of apples and other items that cannot be used. Many of these can be recycled by composting.
It is a way to recycle organic material. It also allows for natural methods that decompose yard waste, food scraps, and other organic materials to make it rich in nutrient manure. Compost piles warm-up because microorganisms can decompose kitchen scraps and leaves with oxygen. This gives them a 2nd chance for fertilizing gardens, houses, and yards. More than 30% of the scrap generated by an average person can be composted. This is roughly 9 times their annual body weight.
There are many choices for composting even in small spaces.
Composting has many benefits
Composting is a great way to provide nutrients for your plants and garden. You can use this to feed your patio plants and containers. It can also be used to decrease household waste.
As per the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), food scrap is the most common component in American garbage. Up to 35% of average garbage cans are filled by kitchen scraps, which could be drawn away from landfills altogether.
It is crucial to divert those scraps. Organic waste, when thrown into landfills, produces methane gas. This is something you can avoid if you compost. It is a dangerous greenhouse gas and can increase global climate alteration. NY City and San Francisco have curbside collections and composting policies. They also get value for their actions. However, 95% of US food scraps are still tossed away.
Composting is also beneficial because:
It is possible to reduce the emission of greenhouse gas from fertilizer production
It is used to fertilize the soil.
It is a great source of natural matter and improves soil quality.
You can decrease a ton of waste
A garden can help you save money as you transform trash into the soil.
It reduces emissions from methane landfills and can lower our carbon footprint.
Apartment composting can help you reduce your carbon footprint and divert organic waste.
There are many great methods to compost your apartment. Your situation will determine which type of compost you choose.
Countertop Storage
You’ll need somewhere for your scraps to be stored between outings to the drop-off or compost tumbler.
An ordinary Tupperware bottle or tumbler jar can work well. However, countertop compost containers can be attractive and discreet while still handling odours. Some compost bins can be washed in the dishwasher or have replaceable filters that prevent odours from escaping.
Before you start your composting trip, be sure to know which items can compost. Avoid the development of bacteria by avoiding dairy and meat products in tiny apartment composting systems. However, bigger composting facilities that can handle high temperatures may accept them.
After the food scraps are gone, you will have a ton of fertilizer to use. You can use your compost to fertilize garden plants, even if you don’t have much space outdoors.
Worm bin
It is the most popular form of the indoor composting bin.
It is important to have a balanced amount of nitrogen and carbon when composting. Carbon can be paper, cardboard and newspaper.
Shredded paper cannot be recycled so it is a great way to add some extra compost!
Your food trash will most likely contain nitrogen. You should aim to have your compost at approximately 50% carbon & half the nitrogen.
You can find tutorials online on how to make a compost bin.
Also, you can purchase a worm container.
Worms prefer to be maintained at room temperature.
And they make a great indoor pet. You can add milk, meat, and citrus peels, but not dairy, meat, or eggs.
Red wigglers are manure making worms and can be found at most bait shops.
Electric Composters
The countertop electric composter is small and odourless. It can refine food scrap in hours and produce fertilizer. These machines, while not composting, heat, pulverize and aerate food scraps to mimic conventional compost piles. They can also process dairy and meat products, which is a safer option than traditional compost piles.
Although several electric composters are expensive, they are affordable and easy to use. These composters have a higher environmental impact than natural methods due to the amount of electricity required to operate them.
Tumblers are a great option
Rotating compost containers, also known as compost tumblers, are more efficient than worm containers. These compost tumblers are not intended for indoor usage. They can be used in a corridor. To preserve heat from your compost, they are sealed tightly to increase the rate of decomposition. Some models can be used to mix and aerate household scrap in as limited as thirteen days.
Because they are sealed, compost tumblers do not attract pests and don’t smell.
Community gardens
It is a great route to bring some nature into urban jungles, and it also makes it easy to get more people to compost their food wastes.
I’ll be honest, this is the most effective way to reduce the proportion of food ending up in landfills.
If you don’t have a community garden, go to your neighbours to see if they do.
These spaces are often managed by regional councils. However, private residents have been creating these shared areas for a long time.
They will be happy about a consistent supply of compost for their needs.
Service Available All Over the City and Private Collection
Some cities, such as New York and San Francisco, have begun offering collection and drop-off for food scrap.
According to the New York City council, a 3rd of all trash generated in New York City is food or yard waste.
The government offers a food scrap collection service
They have also taken the endeavour to provide better methods for disposing of apartment waste that can be composted.
You can drop off your waste at many convenient locations. The city will then process it into compost that can be used in parks and other renewable energy streams.
Check to see if similar services are available in your area.
Private garbage administration companies also offer separate bins to collect specific types of scrap for composting. You can simply collect your vegetable peelings, eggshells and any other organic material. It will be mixed with the remainder of the trash.
It takes creativity to compost in an apartment. You should consider all the options available in your locality – including drop-off locations, pick-up services, and city-run programs – along with your personal needs and desires. You can reduce the environmental impact by composting your waste, even if you have limited space.
Last Thoughts
If you can take one thing from this article, it is that indoor composting is possible using multiple methods.
These methods have helped me reduce the amount of food that ends in the garbage. I also have plenty of compost that I can share with family and friends throughout the year.