This post is inspired by my mom, who after seeing my last post about building my own compost bin for my apartment, asked me how she should go about building one for her own.
The link I posted last week had a lot of good information about how to build an indoor compost bin and was the basis for mine.
I ended up buying a 10 gallon, blue plastic pin from Publix and nailing holes in the bottom- just enough to let the compost breath. There are two types of composting: aerobic and anerobic. The microrganisms at work in an aerobic compost need exposure to air to survive, where as those at work in anerobic composts do not. Both types get the job done, but honestly anerobic decomposition is smellier. So, in order to avoid foul odors, we need holes in the bin. :)
Now, usually when you have aerobic decomposition it’s outside in a large pit where you can easily turn it every once in a while, exposing every bit to the organisms and forces of nature that process it. Inside your apartment however, you want to keep your bin covered and out of the sun and rain. By keeping it covered you prevent fruit flies and other critters from taking up residence in your apartment. Also, if your compost becomes too baked or two wet it may start to smell. So, keep the bin covered, with holes in the bottom.
Place the bin on a drop tray of some kind as to avoid spills and leaks. I’m poor at the moment and used a trash bag, but some kind of tray or plate would have looked much nicer.
Before you add your veggie scraps and tea bags, you want to line the bottom of the bin with shredded newspaper, paper, or cardboard- you know, things you would’ve recycled anyway! ;p
Then you can start adding your scraps and let mother nature take its course. You can compost tea bags and vegetable scraps.However, meat scraps take longer to decompose and since you will be having an apartment size compost bin may not be the best thing to add to your compost.
You also have to check on your compost every now and again. In order to have a clean and functioning compost bin, you’ll have to mantain a good wet-dry balance. For example, if your compost is starting to smell, that means that you need more dry. So, just throw in a handful of shredded paper whenever you add a huge helping of veggie scraps! Also, if you notice that not all of the food is being broken down in a timely manner, take a shovel or a spoon and give the compost a few good stirs. This helps to evenly distribute the food waste. Or, another problem could be that your food is taking a long time to decompose because the scraps are too big. So, to speed up the process, try cutting your veggie trimmings into smaller bits before adding them to the bin.
Apart from composting, the most obvious path to a green apartment is good use of the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, and Recyle.
Reduce the amount of plastics, water, and energy you consume. Plastic is made from oil. Oil is scarce and causes pollution through its consumption, manufaction, and the emissions produced when obtaining and refining it. Recylcing helps deal with some of the damage caused to the earth and its inhabitants by oil consumption, but it does not do anything to prevent future damages. Reducing your personal household consumption will! Also, take shorter showers and try not to leave the water running when you’re washing dishes by hand- that wastes water! Another way to green your household is to shut off unused lights and circuits. Try to keep appliances that aren’t in use unplugged (like tvs, blenders, microwaves, etc.). Applainces can use up ghost waves from the outlet even when not turned on. This will not only help save the planet, but help you save on the electricity bill.
Reuse EVERYTHING! You can wash-out plastic sandwich bags and use them again! You can use old pasta sauce jars as food storage containers, a “piggy bank”, or even a candle holder. You can reuse burn out light bulbs as hanging vases for flowers or candles. You can collect rain water and reuse that to water your plants. This is your opportunity to get creative! Reuse what you can and let those creative juices flow!
Recycle all that you can. Contact your local recycling facility and ask them what kind of plastics they recycle. Most places will provide curb side pick up for glass, plastic bottles and milk jugs, newspaper and cardboard. BUT! if you call the processing plant they might in form you that if you bring it to the nearest recylcing facility you can recycle aluminum of all types, paper of all types, and plastic of all different qualities (you can determine the quality of plastic by the number on the bottom of the object in question). This will help counteract all of the watse and pollution that we emit by living in our consumer driven society. (Harsh, I know…)
That’s all the advice I have for you now, mom. I’ll keep posting other ideas I come up with/find.
LOVE!
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