Unbelievably Easy Ways to Start a Compost Bin

Composting is a great way to turn waste into something useful – it is nature’s way to recycle! Food scraps and organic waste get turned into nutrient-rich soil amendment that is great for growing plants. You don’t need to spend much time or money to get started with composting. Here are some easy ways to start a compost bin or pile at your home ranging from free to fancy.

Why start a compost?

Cleaning my fridge is one of my least favorite chores, in part because I don’t want to face the forgotten, unidentifiable masses of former-food hidden in the back of a shelf. Are you hiding from the back corner of your fridge too? 

People in the United States waste approximately 108 billion pounds of food each year. Of that, about 41 percent comes from households. This is safe, high quality food that has gone through the work of growing, shipping, packaging, and storage and then is thrown away rather than eaten. 

The best solution is to reduce the amount of wasted food by buying only what you will eat and having a plan for consuming that food. But if you have food waste or food scraps (like apple and banana peels) then composting them is better than throwing them in the trash. 

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 22 percent of our municipal solid waste is food, which is a larger portion than any other material in our trash. As organic matter decomposes in the landfill, it releases a powerful greenhouse gas called methane. If you think about the top contributors to climate change, your food may not come to mind. So it may come as a surprise that if food waste were a country, it would come in third (following the United States and China) in terms of impact on global warming. 

By composting your food scraps, you can make something useful instead of contributing to the problem. Compost can fertilize gardens and make our soil more healthy and productive. 

How to start a compost bin or pile for free

The great news is that you don’t need a lot of space or money to start reaping the benefits of a compost. Sure you can buy a fancy and stylish compost tumbler, but we made our compost bin without buying anything! All you need is a container with a lid and something that can make holes in the container. We used an extra garbage bin that was in our house and drilled holes in the lid and sides and bottom of the container. The holes allow for air flow and water drainage. 

Still too much work? To make things even more simple, you can start a compost pile in the yard. Unlike a compost bin, the pile will not be enclosed. You should check your local and city ordinances to make sure that is allowed where you live. If it is, just choose a section of the yard that is away from the house in a dry, shady spot and start dumping your food waste there. Voilà!

How do you start a compost bin if you don’t live in a house with a yard?

If you don’t have the space for your own compost, you can check if your city has a municipal option. Some municipal composts even accept meat bones and holiday trees. You can also see if a farmers market or community garden near you has a compost program. When we lived in Washington DC, we would freeze our food scraps in a container throughout the week. On the weekends we would and drop it off at the farmers market stand. 

Apartment dwellers can consider starting a worm bin or using a bokashi system (where food waste is fermented). If you are willing to splurge, you could buy a countertop composter that will help break down your food scraps at the push of a button. These often use quite a bit of energy. Depending on the setting, they also may not produce compost that can go directly to your garden.

What to put in your compost and what to avoid

Composts need both “brown” materials and “green” nitrogen-rich materials. Brown materials include dried leaves, paper, and hay. Green materials are fruit and vegetable scraps, grass clippings, coffee grounds, tea bags, and washed-out eggshells. Recommendations vary for what ratio of brown to green materials are best in composts, but aim for at least a 1:1 ratio or more brown than green.

You should avoid adding meat, dairy, or fats to your compost. You also will not want to add pet waste if you are using your compost on a garden with food you plan to eat. I check Google when I don’t know if something can be composted.

If you feel overwhelmed by the thought of starting a compost, you should start small. For example, you could set aside your morning coffee grounds. After a few days of that you’ll start to find other compostable materials that you can add. 

Composting is a great way to divert waste from the landfill. With so many easy, budget friendly ways to start a compost bin this is a low-investment way to live a more green life.