Consumer Composting!

As humans its only natural for us to eat, and therefore waste. The average American creates about 4lbs of trash per day, and almost 56 tons of trash per year. How much of that is waste that could be recycled? Or how about food waste that could be composted? A lot.

Recycling your paper, plastic, glass and what-not isn't always enough. We create so much trash that even when we recycle, the recycling facilities can't recycle these products fast enough, but we'll save that topic for next time.

Composting food is one of the best ways to give back to the Earth, and its simple.

There are many ways to compost, from buying the $100-$200 compost bin sets at your local Home Depot, Lowe's, Armstrong Garden Center, etc. to a DIY method I ventured upon.

Originally, I bought a circular 2 foot plastic trash bin from Smart&Final, in hopes of making that my compost bin, but after finding smaller square bins at my parents house, I was able to convert those into my worm compost project and made the taller trash can my recycle bin!

After I found out the basics, and the science of the composting process, I went shopping at a few local stores. Here's what you need to start: two plastic bins, a drill, metal mesh or an old window screen, two bricks, some old newspaper, a little bit of soil, red worms (optional) to quicken the process and prevent any nasty odors, and of course, your food scraps.

Drill holes along the sides and bottom of only one bin. This will keep circulation in your compost bin, bringing oxygen to the worms. Cut the mesh or screen into squares a little bit bigger than the holes you drilled and glue them on the inside of the bin to cover the holes. This will keep your compost from spilling out if it gets too full.

Next, put the two bricks inside the bin without any holes, and place them on either side. Put the bin you just drilled into the other bin, onto of the two bricks. Now you're ready to create your compost! Shred up the newspaper into strips of about an inch thick and place them at the bottom of the top bin. Add water the the newspaper to get it moist, but not too wet. You want it to feel like a damp sponge, not dripping with water. As a rule of thumb, add one pound of worms for every half pound of waste. You can add some store-bought composting fertilizer, but regular soil is suitable as well. Finally, add your food scraps and seal it off with the lid.

I got my worms from Lara Laskay with Urban-worms.com. She was extremely helpful, and she hosts booths at farmer's markets in Pasadena and Studio City, but her office is located in North Hollywood. Check out her website to learn all about vermicomposting, it's very informative and extremely helpful.

You want to layer the bin with dry ingredients first, like shredded newspaper or shredded cardboard, then some moist soil with your worms for a wet layer, then another dry layer, and then your food scraps! The consistency of the misture should be that of a damp sponge, any wetter and the worms will try to escape.

Some foods to avoid include meats, oils, grease, dairy, and citrus rinds. These attract creatures and animals and make it hard for the compost and the worms.

I also found out that the Cities of Santa Monica and Los Angeles have a worm-bin distribution program, where you can get worm bins and maybe even worms for discounted prices if you are a SM or LA resident. Just go to Smartgardening.com!

That's all for now. Keep you're selves updated and the world clean!