Beginners Guide to Composting kitchen Waste
Composting household and waste recycling, for many gardeners has become a rather common pastime in a bid to reduce the ecological footprint and richer gardens. From what you can compost in the kitchen to turning simple recycling waste into fertile soil for your garden, the beginner's guide is your way into it all. Composting is very rewarding and, in most cases, very easy to start up whatever your level of expertise-whether a beginner or a professional gardener.
Why is the need for composting essential in your garden and environment?
Composting is a Natural Way of Recycling. Reduce Landfill Wastes, Carbon Footprint, and Feed Your Plants Real Food. Learn to put your organic wastes like food scraps, leaves, and garden waste to some good use for nutrient-rich compost and how it helps out the environment and even your garden.
What the composting adds to the environment.
Saves landfill waste: This is because 40 percent of all foods produced in America is wasted, many from the landfill. Composting kitchen and yard wastes will pull these materials out from the landfill, which in turn reduce methane generation, considered as among the most potent greenhouse gases.
Emission of Gases: Composting discourages emission of greenhouse gases that are methane and carbon dioxide, the causes of global warming.
Methane is emitted by decomposing organic wastes in a landfill, though when it is under aerobic composting conditions its emission becomes harmless.
Improves soil health: The added organic matter helps improve the texture, saves water, and eventually enhances nutrient holding.
It is pretty useful in ensuring healthy and productive garden beds and plants.
Gardening Benefit of Composting
Compost is a natural manure since the nutrients and minerals such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium contained in it are released gradually for absorbance by the plant.
This helps develop the nature of soil: You are adding compost to the soil which also makes it loamy too and drainage but retains the proper moisture for the roots of plants.
It promotes wholesome growth in a garden: Composting will ensure that the garden will be healthy and green with the fact that it enriches the soil fertility, as well as feeding the good microorganisms in soil, earthworms which aerate, also enriching the soil.
Some examples of household wastes that can be composted in the kitchen include the following:
This is the primary route through which kitchen waste can be recycled; it reduces waste products, in turn decreases their quantity found in the landfills, and also results in something useful for the garden. But it is easier to determine what can go to the compost pile and what cannot. Composting on the principle of good composting is attaining the right ratio between the two: the greens, which have nitrogen; and the browns, which have carbon.
Kitchen wastes that can be composted
1. Fruit and Veggie Scraps
Apple, banana, orange, pear etc fruit peels, cores, seeds
Vegetable peels: That which leaves the remains including tops of carrots, peels from potatoes, broccoli stalks, leafy greens and such.
Coffee grounds, tea bags, if you're certain that your tea bags are biodegradable, because most contain artificial fibers.
Citrus peelings in small quantities as they can be acidic.
2. Eggshells
Eggshells are full of calcium and other minerals your garden will appreciate using. However, eggshells break down incredibly slowly in compost. Crushing them up will really hasten the process
3. Rice and Pasta
Anything which contains rice or pasta, such as Chinese take-out, is largely starch. Compost pile these; however be sure to drain off oils or sauces as fats can slow down the process
4. Nut Shells
Nut shells, peanut and almond, can be composted in small numbers. They decompose more slowly but still make up a healthy compost pile .
5. Used Paper Towels and Napkins
Used paper towels and napkins that are devoid of chemical cleaners can be composted as they are full of carbon. They also keep out the nitrogen that is present with some of the kitchen scraps.
Kitchen Scraps to Avoid
There will inevitably be some items that will not fit into your composting bin. This includes:
Meat, Dairy, and Fatty Products: These attract pests and break down slowly.
Bones and Shellfish: These take too long to decompose and may create smells in your compost bin.
Citrus in Excess: One or two small citrus peels are no problem, but large amounts of citrus peel make your compost pile too acidic for decomposition
Greasy Foods and Sauces: Not only slow to decompose, but they can also make your compost pile a sticky mess with an unappealing stench.
Pet Waste: Animal wastes contain some pretty nasty pathogens, some of which include pathogens from meat-eating animals-animals such as dogs and cats -which are not killed during the composting process.
How to Compost : Step by Step
If this is your first compost, you may find that the first step kind of intimidates you, but it is really easy once you do a few.
Remember, it is all about setting conditions for organic matter to decompose. Let's walk through how you might start composting in your backyard, no matter how small the space may be.
1. Choose Your Composting Method
There are many forms of composting. Indeed, it simply requires space and materials. There are two most commonly used methods-hot composting-also known as aerobic composting-and cold composting.
Hot Composting or Aerobic Composting
In this method, a compost pile is constructed that is turned and maintained in an active higher temperature, usually between 130°F-160°F. The process is fast, and its turnover period is close to around 3-6 months. Its process is more labor-intensive, but quick results are what some are looking for in hot composting.
How to Do Hot Composting
Layering: We should start with layering where a layer of rough materials such as straw or small twigs is added to make way for good air circulation. Alternating layers of greens like food scraps and browns like leaves and cardboard will serve towards finding the right balance between nitrogen and carbon.
Aeration: Turn the compost pile regularly, preferably once in 2-3 weeks, allowing air to pass through it to speed the decomposition process.
Water: The pile must be moist but not watery. It should resemble a wrung sponge.
Cold Composting (Passive Composting)
Cold composting is more laid-back. Just add the kitchen scraps and yard wastes to the pile and let them decompose. This takes as little as 6 months or a year, with very little labor applied.
Steps to follow in Cold Composting:
Pile It Up: You will need to create a pile or bin in a well-drained area of your garden. Add your scraps and organic matter as they come.
No Turning Necessary: Unlike hot composting, you are not going to have to turn the pile much, though the occasional flipping of it will pick things up.
Be Patient: Well, don't worry. Let nature take its course and forget all about the efforts you made into cold composting. This is significantly slower, but then it is an awful lot less work to do.
2. Choose Compost Bin or Pile If you have only just a little space to occupy, you must use the compost bin;
it will collect the pile and thus prevent it from looking untidy. There are different versions and materials of compost bins available in the market, plastic, wood and wire mesh.
Open pile
Others who have enough space can maintain an open pile. A pile should be placed in a sunny area so that it is kept warm and active, which favors decomposition. The open pile should always be kept at a minimum of 3 feet in diameter in ensuring that it can retain heat as well as moisture.
3. Striking the Right Mix between Greens and Browns
Good composting can only be experienced when the amount of green and brown materials in equal amounts- either have a good balance of one part of green to three parts of brown.
Green: refuse from the kitchen; fresh grass clippings; coffee grounds; animal manure
Brown: dry leaves; straw; shredded newspaper and cardboard; sawdust
Proper decomposition and no bad smells will be experienced by having the pile turned regularly
4. Turn the Pile Regular
Hot composting: the pile has to be turned often so that it can degrade fast and aerated. Turning of the compost ensures oxygen which accelerates the degradation process. For cold composting, turning is unnecessary; however, turning at least once or twice per year hastens the degradation
5. Harvesting Your Finished Compost
It should have that earthy dark soil texture once it's finished. You should also be able to smell that soil smell. You'll be able to sift out big chunks of material and lay them out in your garden beds, use them as mulch, or throw it in the compost for the next cycle.
Composting Waste: Green Tips on Composting End.
Several pieces make up the concept of waste reduction, including only one piece, compositing, and recycling of other types of wastes-paper, plastics, metals, and many more that shall pave the way for a greener kind of life. Here are some guidelines on recycling waste in your garden:
Make Use of Recycled Materials for Your Garden Projects: Use reclaimed wood, old pallets, or scrap metal to create raised beds in your garden, fences, or even compost.
Recycle Yard Waste: Chip grass clippings and fallen leaves into mulch to use instantaneously, toss into your compost pile or make mulch of them. In case you don't have the choice of composting, contribute excess yard waste to neighborhood community gardens or any composting center.
Reuse Plastic Containers: Transform discarded plastic containers, pots, and trays into seed starting containers, small planters, or garden tool storage units.
Conclusion
Composting will reduce wastes in landfills, enrich the soil with vital nutrients, and assure generally better plant growth. But by knowing the simple principles of composting for the novice and what can be part of kitchen scraps and yard waste in composting, one is allowed to recycle waste as well as obtain soils rich in nutrients to enhance plants, as well as help the environment. Soon, it will come so naturally and be a satisfying part of your gardening journey and requires little knowledge or effort spent upon the process of composting and recycling waste.
FAQs
How to Compost Your Kitchen Scraps?
Dig a trench about 8 to 12 inches deep in your garden soil. As you do your daily cooking and gardening, fill it with food scraps. After adding each new lot of leftovers, cover with a thin layer of soil. Gradually, the buried food waste decomposes, enriching the soil with nutrients.
What is Composting Recycling?
This is the recycling of organic material into an amendment that may be used to enrich soil and plants.
How do you compost your kitchen waste?
Dig a hole 14 inches deep to prepare a compost pit. Put your green and brown items together in this pit. It is always recommended that the material high in nitrogen goes first before piling up the carbon-rich ones since it accelerates the process. If you have capacity, throw earthworms into this pit, which will also accelerate the process.
What are kitchen wastes?
Kitchen wastes are:
Food stuff commonly thrown away rather than consumed: peels, rinds, cores, eggshells, seeds, pits, bones, coffee grounds and paper filters, loose-leaf tea & paper tea bags, fats/oils/grease. Not completed "plate scraps" or leftovers that spoiled.
