Originally found at: https://foofycrafts.wordpress.com/2015/03/13/a-tale-of-two-bins/
Recently Hannah wrote a post on her experience with getting started composting and linked to my video. I thought I’d repost her blog here.
If you try the bucket method and it doesn’t appear to get results, try using a larger container such as a trash can. The bigger the vessel, the better your results will be.
Anyway, here’s her post. Keep up the good work, Hannah!
It’s amazing how much waste we can generate in a single day. Throwing out that old toothpaste tube, wiping down the sink with a paper towel, grabbing coffee in a to-go cup, unwrapping a protein bar. Wow. That’s only the beginning! We go through the day and leave little bits and pieces of our waste everywhere. We pass myriads of trash cans. We move those cans into bigger containers until there are no larger containers so we try and bury it. Burn it. Dump it into our delicate creeks, rivers and oceans. Launch it into space?
Seems pretty hopeless.
But change does happen one step at a time. I did some research and decided on the first step. Composting. It seemed like the best way to start. Taking food scraps and other organic matter and trying to turn it into a nutrient rich substance that would be good for upcoming spring gardening projects I have planned. My first question was: “How the hell am I going to compost? I live in a tiny apartment!”. Low and behold, there were articles for that too! I did find that my apartment was at an advantage because we do have a small balcony but I also found that for apartments that don’t have balconies there are services that will pick up your urban compost for free or at a very low cost.
There is this great video about composting that teaches you how to start a compost bin with two nesting buckets and very few other resources.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdVU7HVFMrU
Of course, everything seems easier and more magical on the internet so when I actually assembled my compost bins it took an extra five minutes for punching the holes on the sides. It was pretty fulfilling to have the two buckets ready to go.
Some extra tips! Buy some worm casings off amazon or at the hardware store, it really speeds up the process and is totally natural. Also, if at first the compost smells bad/weird don’t fret! It takes some time and patience to wait for the final product.The most important tip I found is to keep a second jar in the kitchen for food scraps so you don’t have to run to your outdoor bin every time.
Hopefully this will be ready in time for our window garden project!!
Lessons Learned: Composting is easier than we think!