Composting makes us happy. I know it sounds geeky, but you know that feeling you get when you find someone the perfect gift or mail off that check to charity? That’s kind of the feeling I get when I stick a banana peel in my compost container under the sink. It’s one little thing we can do each and every day to keep unnecessary items from filling up our garbage can and living on as landfill. And in return we get rich, fabulous soil for bigger plants and that super sweet feeling that says “one more karma point” every time we add an eggshell or a lettuce leaf.
And since most people think composting is smelly and gross, we thought it might be wise to visually demonstrate how un-scary and un-nasty compost can be. We had to take a picture of this particular batch of veggies and eggshells because it almost looked like a rainbow:
We should also mention that the compost container that we keep under the sink (shown above) is air-tight and 100% odorless (we snagged it at Target for around 8 bucks). Ours is discontinued, but something like this or this larger option would work great! All we have to do is walk it outside to add the latest collection of peels, pits, and tea bags to our super simple exterior compost bin (picked up at Lowe’s for 7 clams) a few times a week. Easy peasy.
So if you’re in the market for a bit of quick karma and some free organic soil, check out our step-by-step tutorial for making a sweet little compost bin of your own. Everyone thinks it’s this huge commitment that takes hours to do (even I thought it was a big step when John suggested it) but composting has honestly made our lives easier, not harder. We take out the kitchen garbage half as much, we don’t have to drag the garbage can to the curb nearly as often, and we never have to haul home garden or potting soil anymore. Life is good. Happy composting everyone!
Mrs. Simon says
We live in a condo so it’s nearly impossible to compost, instead what I do is take all of our food scraps, coffe grounds, other compostibles to the Food Plus recycling bin at work. To help contain the mess and stink I keep our compost container(a empty costco size liccorice jar) in the freezer. A few times a week I bring it to work and empty. Keeping it in the freezer seems funny but it works great because the mess out of sight and our kitchen is stink free.
Alysia says
Yay for green ideas! You are right, it is SUPER easy to compost and it makes such rich soil for our plants. Keep up the good work!
Jennifer says
You can get an old ice bucket for about $1 at a thrift store, too… same concept, plus you can find all sorts of neat retro designs!
Lisa says
That is so great that you are composting on your own prerogative!
I live in Toronto (Canada) and here we have garbage, recycling, AND compost bins as part of the regular “garbage” pick-up!
Jen H. says
Hey youngsters! Late comment, I know, but I’m trying to track down the composting canister you got at Target. Seems to be the perfect size/style for my kitchen. Any help would be greatly appreciated. :-)
Is it this one by Michael Graves? http://www.target.com/Michael-Graves-Design-Airtight-Canister/dp/B001LJSI4Y/ref=sr_ln_reviews_1_7?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=0&node=1038576|1287991011#communityReviews
YoungHouseLove says
That one looks super similar but a bit more squat than ours is (ours is about a foot tall and around 5″ across. They also have similar options at Bed Bath & Beyond. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Annie says
I found that exact container at the Dollar Store in Toronto, maybe they’ll have them in the US too?
I use mine to keep cat food nice and dry.
Tarn says
We are composting enthusiasts. In fact, I built a three-bin composting station in the way way way back corner of my backyard. Although it is right next to the fence between my yard and the next-door neighbor’s yard, I left about a foot of space behind the “bins” for the future plan of installing a taller, more decorative fence. We recently had a few trees cut down because of dangerous limbs too close to the house (darn poplars!), and so we had PLENTY of logs laying around the yard. I corralled the ones that were of the same approximate length (12″-14″) and built a 3′ x 10′ cord-wall along the length of the property. With logs that big, they rest on each other like a dry-laid stone wall, with no need for additional reinforcement. Then I built four smaller cord-walls, perpendicular to the larger one, making three open stalls. Yard waste alone keeps this sucker going! You fill up the first stall with the “active” materials, then after it’s broken down a bit, fork it over to the second bin, then after another while, the third. I rarely have to touch the piles, but to “turn” them every so often. During the heat of the summer, additional watering to keep the piles “hot” may be necessary. There are lots of designs out there on how to build this style of bins out of other materials. ie. pallet wood, scrap lumber, railroad ties, plastic mesh etc. We garden a lot so there’s plenty of yard waste. I’m thinking of making a food-only bin too; it makes a more nutritious and weed-free soil amendment. Happy composting!
Melani says
I know this is way behind, but I am finally getting around to making my own compost bin. Here is the big question I can’t really seem to find the answer to anywhere…what do you do when you take your food scraps out and add them? Do you just throw them on top? Do you kinda bury them in what is already there? Do you add more new dirt on top? Do you stir it every time you add the new bin of kitchen scraps? I found a ton of info on how to start it, but not much on what to do next! Thank you so so much!
YoungHouseLove says
We take them out and dump them in and use a shovel to sort of stir them under the dirt for a second. Hope it helps!
xo,
s