Kitchen Composting – Top 3 Hints
Kitchen composting is simply taking scraps from your kitchen to add to your compost heap. Following are three kitchen composting tips to guide you.
1. What you can add to your compost pile.
Remember that it is generally true that whatever comes from the ground (unless it is treated by harmful chemicals, as in the case of wood) is safe to put back into the ground. Therefore, it is safe to add the following ingredients to your compost pile:
Crop produce – the skins off fruits and vegetables; grain products like bread, oats, cereal, pasta, and rice; used grounds from crops such as coffee and tea, as well as coffee filters and teabags.
Some paper products – newspaper, newsprint (unless it was used to soak fat or wipe a greasy pan), and paper napkins.
2. What you should not add to your compost pile.
Going by the rule stated in no. 1, you should avoid kitchen composting the following: meat products, bones, poultry, fish, dairy products (butter and cheese), and fat (including greasy food).
If you use milk, make sure that it is buried way below the surface so it does not attract cats and vermin; the same is true for putting bones deep enough so that your pile does not become popular with the neighborhood dogs.
Eggshells are an exception to this rule. Since they decompose slowly, however, make sure that you crush them almost to a powder before adding them to your compost heap.
3. A container is a good idea.
Kitchen composting can attract a lot of pests such as flies and vermin if you do not take extra care to turn the pile and cover it with the right material. A good alternative to an outdoor compost pile is a container, which you can either make or purchase.
A tumbler is even better. Mounted on a stand and easily rotated, a tumbler can prove to be a marvel for kitchen composting because it readily mixes any fresh scraps you put in. It also saves yard space and looks more attractive as compared to a compost pit or homemade container.
Another great benefit from keeping your compost in a sealed container is that it will keep your compost insect- and vermin-proof. Moreover, a container can aid in managing kitchen composting because it is easier to keep temperature controlled in hot weather (just add some water) and wet weather (the cover will keep it dry).
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