Compost your way to a Greener Future

We at EcoBox are all for initiatives that help keep waste out of landfills, and that’s why we love the idea of composting. If you’ve never heard of it, composting takes nature’s process of breaking down decomposing organic materials and accelerates it, producing a rich, dark soil. Composting waste returns nutrients back into the soil, which helps continue the cycle of life.

So, what does composting have to do with me?

Every year, over 200 million pounds of trash enter landfills in America, and about 15 percent of the garbage is waste from kitchen and yard scraps. Instead of this waste entering the landfill and taking up space, it instead can be composted and turned into a nutrient-rich soil which can be used to help grow the next generation of crops. In fact, soil produced by compost is considered to be “gardener’s gold” as it can help regenerate poor soils and helps with moisture retention It’s also a great money saver – as you can use the soil that is produced by your composter to help fertilize your garden (saving you from buying poorer quality soil,) and your compost soil will use less water which will cut down on your water bill.

I don’t have the resources to build a composter; I’m not even sure where to start.

Composting is really easy once you get into the habit of it. To begin, most gardening stores will carry pre-made compost bins for you, so you can purchase one and start the process right away. Once you’ve got your bin, all you have do is start collecting the waste from your kitchen garbage (and your yard waste) and put it into your compost bin. Here’s a great “recipe” that will produce a terrific nutrient-rich soil:

• Create a 3:2 ratio: Brown materials (dry leaves and newspapers) need to be alternated with green materials (food scraps and lawn clippings) in a ratio of around 3:2. Build as many of these layers as necessary for the amount of your scraps.
• Size matters: Make sure your compost bin is at least three feet square (this is necessary to generate the requisite amount of heat needed for the accelerated decomposting process). The bin should be no higher than five feet in order to keep the air needed for decomposting inside.
• Bury new food: Every once in awhile you should bury new food into your compost pile in order to get the maximum effect possible.

Composting is a great way to help practice the cycle of life in your own backyard and it’s a positive and easy step into living a greener, more earth conscious lifestyle.