Want to learn how to compost? It's quick and easy- check the videos below.
#SISustainability: Spoiled to soil, composting on Staten Island
This video is awesome- it’s good to see composting taking on in NYC, although it’s a shame that Staten Island isn’t as provided for as the rest of the boroughs.
They have some great looking community composting sites, and I hope they can keep growing… composting is inevitable!
That green toter at 7:00 with the bungee system holding down the lid is pretty slick!
Toters are the way to go in terms of durability for creating a trash can composter, although I recommend the larger size.
How to Choose Brown Materials for Your Compost Pile
What are some good carbon sources (brown materials) to use for composting?
Cardboard: Perfectly compostable (especially good for worm composting), but I’d recommend putting it with your recycling instead- there’s always going to be a recycling market for cardboard.
Paper: Just like cardboard, it’s best placed with your recycling. It is compostable (rip it up first!), but it’ll stick around for a while.
Shredded paper: Won’t make it through the recycling process due to its small size. Composting it is fine, just ensure there’s no plastic mixed in with it. It’s not going to add much value to your compost pile, but it will eventually break down.
Newsprint: The non-glossy stuff can compost (be sure to rip it up!), but if you have recycling available, do that instead.
Napkins/paper towels/tissues: These are all paper products that are on their last life. In the recycling process, they are considered “contamination”. Best use is to not use them at all, but when you do, put them in your compost. They’ll stick around for a while and they aren’t chock full of nutrients, but they will compost over time- view them as “filler”.
Leaves: The best! Of all brown materials, leaves are the one you need to have. Leaves are full of trace nutrients, they smell great, and will even insulate your pile in the colder months. Start a new compost pile with 12” of shredded leaves, and additionally use it as a weekly cover material after you add your food scraps to the center. You can’t go wrong with leaves, and there’s no limit to how much you add.
If you’re interested in learning even more tips and tricks to make composting a breeze, click here now.
Humanure Composting: How to Create a Cover Material Cushion
Before I drop a new video on identifying cover materials, I wanted to highlight one of my favorite people talking about cover materials- Joe Jenkins, author of Humanure Handbook.
If you haven’t read it, check it out, and stay tuned for my video on how to identify useful cover materials to make composting easy.