Are you looking for more ways to help the planet and recycle? With a little extra money and time, you can turn everyday household food wastes into compost. Compost is a mixture of various decaying organic substances that can be used for fertilizer. Making compost is easy, even if you don't have a big backyard. If you have enough room outside your home for one more trash can, then you have enough to make a trash can composter.

To build the composter, you'll need a 20 to 30 gallon galvanized trash can with a lid (to keep mice out), blocks to set the can on to allow air circulation, and a small mallet and chisel. First, use the mallet and chisel and punch holes in the lid, sides, and bottom of the trash can. Set it up on the blocks in the space you've designated for your compost. Next, fill the can about 2/3 full with fall leaves or other dried plant material. If you don't have access to leaves, ordinary potting soil will work nicely. Add about a gallon of water if using leaves, and mix thoroughly. Water isn't necessary if using top soil, but you may want to add it from time to time if it begins to look dry. Finally, add food scraps, cutting up any large pieces so they will decompose quickly. If you're worried about the odor, keep the scraps in a plastic bag in the freezer until you're ready to add them to the composter. When the bag is full, just dump in the composter. Cover scraps with another thin layer of leaves or potting soil. It can take up to three months to a year to harvest finished compost. An easy test to see if the compost is ready is to fill a small plastic bag with compost from the bottom of your can. Seal it up, and toss it back in the can for about a week. Once a week has passed, open the bag and smell it. If it smells sour or like ammonia, the compost isn't ready yet. If it smells earthy, it is ready to harvest.

Finished compost makes a great fertilizer for indoor potted plants. It can also be used outside as mulch in place of peat moss or wood chips. Compost also makes a great base for reseeding a small lawn. Just cover the area to be seeded with a compost base about 6-8 inches thick. Sprinkle the top with grass seed then cover with a thin layer of straw to keep hungry birds away. Water as needed, and in a few weeks you'll have a beautifully green healthy lawn.

Composting is a great way to recycle food wastes into something useful. It reduces the amount of trash household trash while creating a useful fertilizer for plants and shrubs. And with a trash can composter, all these benefits take up very little space. No big backyard needed!

Learn more about this author, Pamela Walsh.
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