Composting This Summer--

This winter our compost bin was hit by a snow plow. I'll spare you the long story, but it is cracked up and down the sides and has seen much better days. Thankfully, I have been thinking about developing a new system anyway.

Why? Well, I never stir it, or manage it in any way, other than to add food that has been sitting under my sink for far too long.

So it seems I am ready for a compost tumbler. The Green Daily has a link to a website that shares more than you ever wanted to know about compost. And the author describes the many good points of owning a compost tumbler. Apparently all you have to do is turn it every so often. I think even I can handle that.

Why compost? The average family throws away over 200 lbs. of kitchen waste every year. Just think about all that biodegradable food waste just taking up landfill space when it could be turning back into beautiful, usable soil for your garden, potted plants and window boxes. It is the perfect closed loop, and with recycling, this can seriously lessen your families' solid waste, and impact on the planet.

One thing that makes composting more palatable for reluctant spouses (oh yes, I have one of those) is to have a kitchen pail for kitchen scraps until there is enough to be emptied. Having one of these will prevent what happens in my house everyday-- a bowl or container of food waste, potentially stinking or attracting flies. Many pails have a lid and even an air filter in case you don't empty it everyday (not that you will be like me in this regard!). I hope to get one of these soon.

With some of these tips from the above links, you can happily compost with minimal effort and problems. And just think of all that food waste turning into nutrient rich soil for you to use with your family!