Dirt, water and sunshine are all that you need to turn your household vegetable waste into nutrient rich compost. It is easy, and it doesn't take a lot of time, energy, space or money! Composting can be done in a small corner of your garden or yard, a wooden box or barrel, or even in a pail or flower box if necessary. The average U.S. household usually creates about 200 pounds of vegetable waste per year so there is plenty of material out there that is available to be composted. Rather than placing it in a landfill where it would otherwise mix with toxic substances, and only serve to increase the size of our landfills, you can turn this compostable material back into nutrient rich soil.

All kitchen vegetable waste matter, as well as most yard trimmings and clippings, can be composted. Potato and carrot peelings, apple cores, watermelon rinds, banana peels, nut shells, egg shells, coffee grounds and filters, tea bags, small pieces of cardboard or paper, straw or hay, cotton or wool rags and even wood chips are all compostable materials. The smaller the material than the quicker it will compost, so if you want to increase the rate at which your compost will decompose chop, rip or shred your compostable waste into a smaller more biodegradable size.

As soon as you have some appropriate waste matter it is time to start composting. Begin by digging a hole in your dirt, this is where you will deposit your vegetable matter. Depending on the size of your compost area either a shovel or gardening spade can be used to bury the daily deposits. Water should be added on a regular basis, and if you want a very active batch, then the mixture should be stirred or "turned over" every few days. The water and the natural heat of the sun will bake your "discardings" into mineral rich compost. If you live in an appartment without a balcany, your vegetable waste can be placed in a pail or other such container until you have the opportunity to return it to the great outdoors, after which time nature will take care of the job of composting this material for you.

Currently about twenty three percent of all landfill waste in the USA is made up of yard and household vegetable wastes. When you compost, you save this nutrient rich matter from becoming trash, and as more people realize the benefits of composting we can greatly reduce the amount of this valuable material from being destroyed. Much more of this waste matter can be turned into reusable nutrient rich soil.

Composting

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