How much organic waste would you guess that your household produces in one year? Consider banana, apple, orange, and potato peels, egg shells, coffee grounds, and all the leftover food items that no one eats.
If you guessed between 600-700 pounds each year then you would be right. The average household produces an estimated 650 pounds of organic waste a year and sends it to the landfill. All that food waste could be composted and used as plant food, even if you live in an apartment.
Yes, you can recycle food waste into usable eco-friendly compost no matter where you live, even in a small apartment.
Why Compost If You Live In Apartment?
The organic food waste that your household generates takes up valuable space in the landfills, emits methane gas and creates leachate. Leachate is a by-product of decomposing food scraps and when it’s diluted and used in controlled garden situations, leachate works as an organic soil conditioner.
However, the amount of leachate that is generated by tons of food waste at the landfill is not good for the environment. Composting is a small way to promote cleaner air and water, and healthier soil. It will also limit the amount of trash you send to the landfill.
What are Your Options for Apartment Composting?
Apartment composting can be as large or small as needed to meet your needs. Most apartment buildings have very little individual outdoor space for their renters but may have a large communal outdoor area. Composting in an apartment living situation can range from a small bucket under the sink to a large communal pile outdoors. Choose from one of these composting options and get started today.
- Bokashi composting is done in a 5-gallon bucket that can fit in a cabinet under the kitchen sink or in the corner of the laundry room. You fill the bokashi bucket with food scraps, which can including meat and dairy products, then add an inoculated bran the scraps to cause them to ferment. The fermentation process will take about 2-weeks and the airtight bucket prevents odors from escaping. Once done, the fermented output must either be processed further as compost, or buried in soil in a container or in the ground and allowed to mellow for at least 2weeks before planting. The fermented bokashi compost also makes excellent food for worm bins.
- Worm bins make quick work of transforming food waste into useable, nutrient-rich compost. Typical worm bin setups suitable for apartment use consist of a series of stacked trays that are filled with hundreds of worms. Food scraps are fed to the worms in the trays and they eat the scraps. digest them, and leave behind worm castings. Worm castings are composted material that is filled with nutrients and ready to use in the garden or containers. The series of stacked trays keep the composting process going all the time. When one tray gets full, you can add another as the worms climb vertically. And the worm bins are not smelly or unattractive, so they can be placed inconspicuously almost anywhere in the apartment. Worms are not essential to composting, but they provide a great way to speed up the process and increase the nutrient value of the finished product by adding their castings to the mix.
- Community Composting is a shared effort that can bring renters in an apartment complex together for the common good of each other and the planet. If the complex has a shared outdoor space that is large enough to accommodate a compost bin or two, plus space for a garden, then recycling food waste and organic gardening can be a breeze. Get together with some of your neighbors and discuss with the property management creating a community composting area and raised bed gardens so all can share in the work and reap the benefits. Learning how to grow food is an important skill for everyone, and compost will help grow healthy organic vegetables and fruits.
- Composting Services are another option for some apartment dwellers. In a typical approach the composting service will pick up your food scraps and process them in their facility into usable compost. The food scraps are donated or you may receive ready-to-use compost in exchange for food scraps. If you do not have indoor houseplants or outdoor garden plants and have no need for compost, the compost can be donated to a community garden. Bio-bags are sometimes used to collect food waste at home and then dropped off at a composting service. The bio-bags will decompose along with the food waste inside so no plastic is used for the waste collection.
- Compost Bins there are small compost bin receptacles available that hold food waste won’t take up much space in your apartment. Choose a bin that turns so turning the compost for air circulation will be quick and easy. A larger bin is ideal for placing on a balcony or patio. In addition to the kitchen waste, yard waste can be added to the compost bin.
- Countertop composters sit unnoticed on your kitchen countertop and look more like an attractive cookie jar than an apartment composter. Choose from many styles and colors that will compliment your kitchen decor so you can reduce your food waste in a stylish way. Countertop composters are airtight and will not allow odors to escape. Plus, they have charcoal a filter in the lid to reduce odors. The charcoal filters can be purchased online or at most local hardware stores. Freezing food scraps before adding them to an apartment compost bin will also reduce odor and speed up the decomposition process.
- Bucket composting can be done by collecting food scraps in a bucket and allowing them to decompose slowly. This may produce an odor and will take a few months for food scraps to decompose but if you have a little extra space on a balcony, this is a free and work-free way to compost in an apartment.
- Electric Composting turns food and yard waste into compost overnight. These are ideal for small scale food waste in small spaces, like an individual or couple living in an apartment or in an RV. Microbes in the electric composter turn the food waste into usable organic garden food in 24-hours.
- Farmer’s Market virtually every town has a farmer’s market (or a nearby organic farm) that will be glad to take your food scraps and turn them into compost for their farms. Farmer’s markets often have a large compost pile on site that is a receptacle for all types of organic food waste. When you go to the local farmer’s market or organic farm take a bag or bucket of food scraps with you to add to their compost pile. Organic farmers use compost to improve the soil structure and keep plants well-fed so they produce abundantly.
So there you have it. 9 ideas for composting in your apartment. If you aren’t composting already, give it some consideration. Help reduce landfill waste and create rich organic matter to nourish your garden plants in the process.
Be sure to read our reviews of the Best Compost Bins.
For more in-depth discussions about various aspects of composting, we recommend visiting Compost Authority.
Happy gardening!