Spring is here, which means there’s no better time to give backyard composting a try! As our friend Dan Martens from Novamont writes in his article from the UConn College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources, “there is no perfect way of making compost,” so even if composting services are not available in your area, you can still put your food scraps and other organic waste to good use. All you need to give home composting a go is some level ground and a plastic bin.
To get started, Dan says, “Round or square, commercially available plastic bins offer a convenient and relatively inexpensive system for backyard composting…locate the bin on level ground in a well-drained area that is convenient to access year-round.”
Once your bin is set up and ready to be put to use, both green and brown materials should be added to create a well-balanced compost. Green ingredients act as a source of nitrogen to the microbes in soil that aid in organic decomposition and include food scraps, plant debris, and fresh grass clippings (make sure they’re herbicide-free!) while brown ingredients, a source of carbon, can include cardboard, dried leaves, and sawdust.
BioBags can also be a part of your home composting journey! Many of our products, including our 3 Gallon and 13 Gallon Food Scrap Bags, are Certified Home Compostable by OK Compost, meaning municipal facilities are not required for decomposition. Collect your food scraps in a BioBag and toss the whole thing into your backyard composting bin. Find these bags on Amazon or in a store near you.
For complete instructions and tips including how to best layer materials in your compost bin, what your finished compost should look like, and how to keep that organic material out of the landfill all year long, Dan’s complete article on easy backyard composting can be downloaded here.
