The Ultimate Guide to Composting: Reduce Waste and Enrich Your Soil
The Ultimate Guide to Composting: Reduce Waste and Enrich Your Soil
Composting is a simple yet powerful way to reduce waste and create nutrient-rich soil for your garden. By composting items like fruit and vegetable scraps, eggshells, and even cardboard, you can turn your kitchen and yard waste into “black gold” that will help your plants thrive. In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about composting, including what you can compost, why you should compost, and how to get started.
What can you compost?
- Eggs: Eggshells are a great source of calcium for your compost
- Fruit & Veggies: Scraps and peels from fruits and vegetables can be composted.
- Tea & Coffee Grounds: used tea bags, loose tea leaves, and coffee grounds are all compostable.
- Paper and Cardboard: Shredded paper, newspaper, and cardboard can be composted, as long as they’re not glossy or colored.
- Grass Clippings and Leaves: Yard waste like grass clippings and leaves are excellent additions to your compost pile.
Compostable Products from PÜR Evergreen®
Some of our products are compostable, making them even more environmentally friendly. Our Swedish Dishcloths, boxes from the Laundry Detergent Sheets, Beeswax Wraps, and the seed paper on the beeswax packaging can all be composted. By choosing these products, you’re not only reducing waste but also contributing to healthier soil.
Why Should You Compost?
Composting offers several benefits:
1 – Reduce Waste: Composting diverts organic waste from landfills, where it would otherwise emit methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
2 – Improve Soil Health: Compost adds valuable nutrients to your soil, improving its structure and fertility.
3 – Save Money: Composting reduces the need for store-bought fertilizers and soil amendments.
4 – Protect the Environment: Composting reduces the need for chemical fertilizers, which can pollute waterways and harm wildlife.
How to Compost
1 – Choose a Location: Select a dry, shady spot for your compost pile or bin.
2 – Collect Compostable Materials: Gather your compostable items, including kitchen scraps, yard waste, and compostable products.
3 – Layer Materials: Alternate layers of green (nitrogen-rich) and brown (carbon-rich) materials. Green materials include fruit and veggie scraps, grass clippings, and coffee grounds. Brown materials include paper, cardboard, and leaves.
4 – Water and Turn: Keep your compost moist (but not soggy) and turn it regularly to aerate the pile and speed up decomposition.
5 – Harvest Your Compost: After a few months, your compost should be ready to use. It should be dark, crumbly, and have an earthy smell.
Composting is a simple yet impactful way to reduce waste and improve your garden’s health. By composting kitchen scraps, yard waste, and compostable products, you can create nutrient-rich soil that will benefit your plants and the environment. State composting today and reap the rewards of healthier soil and a cleaner planet.