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MCC Daily Tribune

Green Tip: Composting at Home- You can do this!

Even after careful planning and efforts to reduce waste, you might still end up with food that is no longer good. You can "recycle" some of your food waste through composting. Composting at home can be easy once you set it up. According to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) "Food scraps make up almost 20 percent of the New York State's residential waste stream, but a much higher percent of landfill-caused methane," one of the most potent greenhouse gases.

Why compost?

  • It helps reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills and the amount of methane produced. According to a 2014 EPA report, food was the largest component (over 21%) of landfilled municipal solid waste.
  • In gardening, it improves soil structure, promotes healthy plant growth, reduces the need for pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, and recycles nutrients back into the soil which promotes a healthy soil ecosystem.

There are 4 key components to composting according to NYSDEC:

Making compost takes some care; add greens, browns, water and air.

  • Greens are your nitrogen source and include food scraps (such as fruit and vegetable peels, coffee grounds, tea bags and old bread), fresh grass clippings, fresh weeds and manure.
  • Browns are your carbon source and include fallen leaves, dry weeds, shredded paper, wood chips and straw. Browns provide structure for the pile, allowing air to flow more freely.
  • Air - Compost microorganisms need oxygen! While not necessary, turning (or mixing) the pile twice a month will add more air and speed up breakdown.
  • Water - Composting works best with the right amount of moisture. If the pile is too wet, add some leaves, shredded newspaper or sawdust. If it's too dry, add some water.

If you can't compost outside in a yard, you can vermicompost with a worm bin made from storage bins or 5-gallon paint buckets using a drill, some screening, scissors and an adhesive. Once you have created your composting bin, start composting using newspaper or shredded office paper, some water, food scraps and some red wiggler worms (bait worms).

Want to make it really easy?

Join a Curbside Composting service, such as Impact Earth for between $15 to $30 per month depending on the frequency and service. You simply fill a 4- or 5-gallon bucket with your compostable materials and either get it exchanged for a new bucket at your house, or exchange it at the Rochester Public Market, or Fairport or Brighton Farmers Market. Community Composting also has a bin swap that can be done at Abundance Co-Op or Lori's Natural Foods for a $10 deposit and $4 per swap with no set schedule.

Ann Penwarden
Sustainability Steering Committee’s Recycling Committee
01/12/2021