Composting: simple and natural

Composting is an easy and environmentally friendly solution to reduce the amount of organic waste that goes to landfills or incineration.

It reduces the many negative impacts from transporting and disposing of waste materials: air, soil and water pollution, not to mention the effects on human health, fauna and flora.

Putting organic waste back in the soil

Naturally, organic matter slowly decomposes when exposed to the air. With time, it forms a soil that allows nutrients to return to the earth. Composting simply accelerates this decomposition.

Many organic materials (which make up to 47% of our household garbage) can be composted: fruit and vegetable peels, coffee grounds, dead leaves, etc. With minimal maintenance, compost can be ready within a few months, and can enrich your flower beds, vegetable gardens, flower boxes, lawns, etc.

Though many municipalities provide brown bin collection for organic materials, it's also possible (and ecological) to do it at home! Some municipalities encourage its citizens to do so by providing information and sometimes even composters. You can contact your municipality to find out about these programs or to encourage their implementation.

How to compost

Composting is not complicated. If you follow a few basic rules and organize yourself well, it quickly becomes second nature.

Organic matter needs a good level of humidity, oxygen, and a variety of residues in order to decompose. It is therefore important to:

• Mix different organic waste together;

• Stir the mixture and let it breathe - to encourage action by the microorganisms, and to homogenize the final product;

• Pay attention to the humidity. Compost should not be soggy, but very humid.

Composters

Here are some useful questions to help you choose your composter:

• How much space do I have?

• Is the look of the composter important?

• What is my budget?

• Are there any municipal bylaws governing the use or size of composters?

• Does my city or an organization in my area subsidize the purchase of composters or offer composting training?
  

There are many models of composters available, some of them are even very elegant! Most hardware stores and garden centres carry them, and it's not very complicated to make your own composter.

If you have a large yard, you could also simply compost "in piles". In a remote corner, simply pile up the waste. Make piles and turn them regularly to activate fermentation. The natural watering and the large surface (oxygenation) will be to your advantage.

Essential features of a composter

• A lid to protect the compost from rain and snow and to control the humidity level

• Holes or openings to promote air circulation

• A means of removing the final product, usually a trap door at the bottom of the composter

The compost is ready!

It's quite easy to recognize mature compost: dark brown, it looks like good soil, has a good humus smell and you can't recognize any of the waste materials used (except for a few hard-to-compost materials like eggshells and pits).

To know almost everything about the science of compost tea, listen to this video. For a recipe to make at home, have a look at this guide.

How to use compost

Compost is not a fertilizer, but an excellent amendment for garden soil, as it nourishes the soil, improves its structure and aeration and increases its water retention capacity. You can use it indoors or outdoors:

• Mix it with the top six inches of garden soil and use it around trees, shrubs, vegetables and flowers.

• Mix it with your planting and transplanting soil (at a rate of about one-third compost by volume).

• Spread the sifted compost on the lawn, after aerating it.

To speed up the process

To improve and accelerate your composting, the following factors can influence the curing time (5):

• The right proportion of wet and dry matter

• The size of the residues used (the smaller the pieces, the faster the process)

• Proper aeration and moisture content

• The method used and the volume of material composted

Tips to increase your chances of success

• Keep a resealable container in the kitchen in which to place your table scraps. A nice stainless steel container near the sink is very practical.

• If you generate a lot of waste and have room to spare, use two composters. While the compost matures in one container, you use the other one on a daily basis.

• You can put waste in the composter all winter. The decomposition process slows down or stops when the pile is frozen, but it starts up again very quickly in the spring, after a good turning.

• Empty the composter as much as possible in the fall to make room.

• If you don't have a garden, you can donate your compost to a school or community group for their landscaping.

And remember: it's important to eat well, "not too much, just enough", while being careful to waste as little food as possible. Be sure to get the anti-waste reflex before you compost!