The average person throws away nine times their own body weight in waste every year. As much as 30% of that waste is in the form of food scraps and yard waste that could otherwise be used in composting (source: EPA.gov). Compost is organic material that can be added to soil to help plants grow.
Composting is easy to do right in your own home, and you don’t need much to get started. Greenlid composting bins are small enough to sit on your kitchen counter. You can wash your produce with Rebel Green Fruit & Veggie Clean, chop them up and discard any remaining scraps right into the bin. Made from locally-recycled cardboard and newsprint, Greenlid bins are also leak-resistant and compostable. They can be thrown on top of your compost pile as soon as they are full of organic matter. (Continue reading to learn how you can win a composting prize pack courtesy of Rebel Green and Greenlid.)
If you haven’t tried composting before, then today is the perfect day to start turning your organic waste into valuable nutrients for your soil. In honor of National Learn About Composting Day (May 29) in the U.S., Greenlid offers the following fun facts and tips about composting:
Did You Know?
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Compost reduces waste and puts it to good use. The following waste items can all be turned into compost: fruit and vegetable scraps, eggshells, coffee grounds and filters, tea bags, nut shells, shredded newspaper, cardboard, paper, yard trimmings, grass clippings, houseplants, hay/straw, leaves, sawdust, wood chips, cotton and wool rags, dryer and vacuum cleaner lint, hair and fur, fireplace ashes.
- Composting is a great way to clean up the earth. Besides reducing the amount of waste in landfills and the production of harmful greenhouse gases like methane, composting can also clean contaminated soil and reduce your carbon footprint.
- Compost is a natural drought buster. Adding a top layer of compost to your soil may quadruple its water-holding capacity. That’s great news for folks on the West Coast who often have to contend with drought and dryness.
- Anyone can make compost. You don’t need a lot of space to be successful. Apartment dwellers, check out worm composting as a space saving way to compost!
Tips for Composting Success:
- Use the right formula. Compost ingredients include carbon, nitrogen, water and oxygen. A lack of oxygen results in the production of GHG (greenhouse gases).
- Make “lasagna.” Alternate layers of green and brown content for a balanced compost pile. “Browns” (dead leaves, branches, twigs) make up the carbon component of compost, while “greens” (grass clippings, fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds) provide nitrogen.
- Keep it moist. Compost piles are like gardens; they need water when they’re dry. Water helps break down the organic matter, so be sure to keep your compost moist (but not wet).
- Turn, baby turn. Mixing or turning your compost regularly adds oxygen and prevents GHG production. It also helps your compost break down faster.
- Minimize needles. Be careful not to add too many pine needles to the mix (more than 20% of the pile). They’re too acidic, which can be detrimental to the composting process.
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Healthy compost = healthy garden. Remember: what you feed your compost is what feeds your plants.
We hope you learned something new about composting today! Drop a comment below to be entered to WIN a composting prize pack courtesy of Rebel Green and Greenlid. The prize pack includes a 4-pack of Rebel Green Fruit & Veggie Clean, plus 6 Greenlid compostable compost bins and 3 reusable lids to share with your friends (approximate total prize value: $63 USD). (NOTE: THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED.)
To learn more about Greenlid composting products, visit www.mygreenlid.com.