If you could be part of a movement that is the equivalent of removing 7.8 million cars from our roads, would you do it?
Many counties across our nation have made it very easy for us to recycle plastics, paper and glass. We don’t even have to sort it. Just put it in a different trash can and each week they haul it off. Doesn’t that feel good?!
However, did you know in 2009 62% of our garbage was compostable? That means that more than ½ of our garbage could be decomposed and then recycled as a fertilizer. Compost has become a key ingredient in organic farming. The good news is there are so many things you throw away daily that can be part of compost and it’s just as easy as recycling!
Here’s a list of those items to include in your compost: Animal manure, Cardboard rolls, Clean paper, Coffee grounds and filters, Cotton rags, Dryer and vacuum cleaner lint, Eggshells, Fireplace ashes, Fruits and vegetables, Grass clippings, Hair and fur, Hay and straw, Houseplants, Leaves, Nut shells, Sawdust, Shredded newspaper, Tea bags, Wood chips, Wool rags, Yard trimmings.
What I’d really like to share is my experience with composting and strongly encourage you to do the same. If you look it up online, they just tell you how to do it and what to put in it. But, knowing what to expect is fun!
Last year when I bought my first home I immediately went to Sam’s and bought a compost bin. I didn’t know much about it other than my mom has done it for years and it’s good for our environment. To be honest, I do anything I possibly can to help out the environment.
The first thing I learned is you can’t just leave your compostable materials on your kitchen counter. After several weeks of that I couldn’t quite figure out why I had all these flies in the house. Even though I’d walk outside to the compost bin regularly, it still attracted flies and it starts to smell pretty bad. Now I keep a small stainless steel bin on the counter with an air tight lid. You really don’t need to get anything this fancy but it matched the kitchen. Now, every time I peel a carrot or a banana, crack an egg, drink tea, or remove the coffee filter from the coffee pot, my habit has become to toss the remains in this little bin. When it gets full in the kitchen, I happily walk out and toss it in the compost bin outside in the back yard. 
The second thing I learned is you have to have patience. If you have to get a bin like mine, it will come with instructions. Others can just start it in the corner of their back yard. But, who reads instructions these days. It can’t be that hard. As I mentioned I started this last summer. I’ve put some yard leaves and trimmings and all of the acceptable food waste. It’s pretty exciting when the bin gets full and then the next time you go out to throw something in it there’s room. It has to be working when you see that! Just the other day, when I was planting the Spring plants and flowers, I was so excited to use some of the compost because it’s known to help plants get bigger. I just go to the compost bin and open the little door at the bottom and there was about 3 cups worth of compost. Now I know that sometimes it can take up to two years! 
The last, but certainly the most important thing for me is that not only does your compost need brown and green matter, it needs bugs! One day I went out to turn the compost because you’re supposed to do this pretty regularly and I saw roaches and worms! Needless to say I screamed, jumped back and then realized…if I’m going to do this, I HAVE to do this. If you’re already recycling and you live in a house, composting is no more difficult than what you’re doing. It feels so liberating the first time you begin composting and you don’t even have a full bag of garbage to put out on the curb for pick up. If we could all do these little things it will help is save our planet one banana peel at a time.
