Composting is a great way to put your discarded food products to use while at the same time protecting the environment. The technique involves collecting these natural waste products and turning them into fertilizer. The process also reduces the need for landfills, which are not good for the environment. The EPA states that more than 30% of the food waste produced by the average household can be used for composting. Furthermore, you need not live in a rural area to carry out the process, because this can even be done by the residents of urban apartments and suburban homes.

Understanding the Composting Process

Compost can be made of fruit or vegetable skins, coffee grounds, eggshells, flowers, and grass clippings. You can even consider using human hair and such manmade items as paper egg cartons and newspapers. Meats, dairy products, bones, and oily products are not recommended because they attract insects and rodents. Layered in anything from a ceramic container to an empty milk carton, the material can be stored in the refrigerator. The next step involves the placement of the material in your backyard or in a worm box, where the fermentation process can take place. You may also consider taking the material somewhere else, such as a local farmers market.

Producing the Compost

If you do it yourself, place atop the mix such green materials as fruit and vegetable products. Carbon-rich brown items, including dried leaves and pine needles, should be placed at the bottom of the mix. Aeration and water circulation are important because they allow microorganisms to enter the mix and continue the composting process. The mix also needs consistent attention, with a turning of the mix at least once a week. The process also requires some patience. In warmer areas, the compost should be created in only two months, but in cooler environments, the final process may require about half a year.

Putting Compost to Work

Compost that smells bad did not properly decompose. Fixing this may require changing the ratio of green and brown materials. High-quality compost can be used to fertilize individual plants or entire gardens. It can even be taken to community gardens or related facilities. You should consider composting as something that is good for your personal environment and good for the world in which you live.