Starting a Kitchen Compost Bin – What you Need to Know

What is the purpose of composting?

Kitchen composting is a simple solution to reducing food waste. Every year, billions of pounds of byproducts are sent to landfills. Later, this food will rot and create methane which contributes to the creation of greenhouse gasses. 

Practically speaking, creating a compost bin for your kitchen can be a useful tool for your garden. Not only will you be cutting down on waste, but you can also cut down on the need to buy fertilizer for your plants. If knowing what is going into your food is a priority, creating your own compost allows you to know exactly what is going into what you are ingesting. 

How does composting work?

Composting is considered a process where organic matter is decomposed by various microorganisms. While the apple peel you throw away will eventually rot, composting helps speed up the progression. You are creating an ideal ecosystem for those microorganisms who will break down food waste at an accelerated pace.

Compost requires four different elements – water, air, soil, and organic waste. The key is to have those elements balanced out. Too much water will slow your materials from breaking down and if you don’t have enough soil you will not be providing the microorganism your composts needs to decompose.  

Organic waste will typically fall into two different categories – green material and brown material. Green represents your nitrogen which includes leftover vegetable scraps, weeds, grass clippings, etc. Browns represent your nitrogen. Soil, carboard, sticks, and leaves make up the brown category. 

In order to help the decomposition, any materials placed into your compost should be broken down into smaller pieces. 

When you create a compost bin or pile you are creating what is called a “food web”. A food web is considered a biological community in which organisms transfer energy. This typically happens when one organism eats another. 

What tools do I need to start?

There are hundreds of different ways to start a compost bin. When we were on a tight budget, we started by saving our coffee tins. Each time we would empty a tin (which would take approximately a month) we would replace it with a new one.  

All of our kitchen scraps would be thrown in an old trash can with holes poked in the lid and on the sides

This worked fairly well but it didn’t take long for the tins to start rusting from the moisture of our kitchen scraps. We also noticed that we tended to collect gnats if we didn’t empty it frequently and there was a slight stench if we didn’t shut the lid securely. 

To compensate, we set out apple cider vinegar mixed with dial soap in a small tub. This helped trap some of the gnats but didn’t work so much as a long-term solution. 

After we had collected kitchen waste that way for a year, we ended up investing in a composting bucket with charcoal filters. The metal on the inside is coated to keep it rust-free and it drastically cut down on food odors.

While we still have our composting trashcan, we ended up switching our method. After some research, we discovered that chickens are a great, natural way to help break things down further. We give them access to the trashcan and leave compost on the ground. Not only will they turn your compost for you, but they also poop in the pile which further enriches your compost. 

One thing to watch is what you are putting in your compost. If you do want your chickens to help you, make sure you are keeping our produce such as onions and avocados. 

What can I compost?

Do put in:

• Fruit peels/leftovers
• Vegetable peels/leftovers
• Grass clippings
• Leaves
• Wood chips
• Paper tea bags (take staples out)
• Coffee grounds
• Paper coffee filters
• Paper
• Carboard
• Newspaper (unless it has a sheen)
• Hay/straw
• Dryer lint
• Nut shells
• Sawdust
• Feathers
• Flowers
• Egg shells
• Ash/charcoal (minimal amounts)
• Paper towels
• Hair
• Kleenex
• Cotton balls
• Chicken coop waste

Do not put in:

• Meat scraps
• Fish craps
• Dairy
• Oil
• Pet waste
• Diseased plants (burn instead)
• Bones
• Plastic

Right now, we have two different piles. One is ready to use as it has been sitting for a year and the other one is where we throw our new food waste. Eventually we will make three bins out of lumber scraps. Once one section is full, we will move to the next one. 

A note of caution; you should always make sure you are being considerate of your neighbors when picking a spot for you compost. We live in a rural area so, for the most part, people are generally understanding. However, we also made sure we placed our compost in the far corner of our yard away from any houses. If you have the right balance of green and brown matter it won’t smell. On the off chance it does, it would be best to make sure that doesn’t impact your neighbors. 

Is that it?

Composting is one of the easiest things to start it you are looking at being more self-sustainable. The start-up cost is minimal, you will potentially be helping the environment, and it can help cut your expenditures in the garden. With a little mindfulness and dedication you can easily reap the benefits of making your own compost.