Backyard Composting
Composting, which can be performed on residential and industrial scales, is a wonderful way to reduce the
amount of trash produced while also creating amazingly fertile dirt. Composting, in my mind, intercepts the
natural cycle of decomposition while recycling creates an artificial, and often limited, cycle. This picture may
help you to understand:
O2
Plant
Food
Product
Recycling
Composting
So, you see, composting actually mimics the unlimited natural cycle of a plant making fruit, which is later
turned into dirt, which is later used to grow a plant; the minerals transfer from a plant to a fruit to the dirt and
back to the plant. What’s more, unlike recycling, because a portion of the cycle is spent as a plant, carbon
dioxide is eliminated, oxygen is created, and food is grown.
Now that you are more familiar with the astounding cycle of composting, it is time to explain how to compost.
First of all, there are many commercially available compost bins which are designed to require minimal
interaction from the owner (which, in my opinion, are often expensive and ineffective).
One common type of composter is a bin that rotates; this is probably supposed to aerate the
compost. The design of this bin is counterintuitive because there is no way for air to permeate the
bin to begin with. A friend of mine told me once that his neighbor bought one of these bins and was
terribly disappointed with the results. These bins usually range between $100 and $200.
This particular compost bin is called the Exaco Earthmaker. This is a decent design of a compost
bin. It is large, and holds a total of 120 gallons. The unique feature of this bin is that it has three
stages, one of which is aerobic. I don’t understand why they didn’t make all three stages aerobic,
but the separation of stages does hasten the process of composting, as different microbes are
present during different stages of decomposition, thus streamlining the process. This bin costs $200.
This compost bin is called the Earth Machine. I was introduced to this product by the friendly
people at Eureka Recycling. The bin is big enough that composting, impressively, continues at
a minimal level during the Minnesota winters. It is quite cleverly designed and is, in my
opinion, the best compost bin that you can buy (you could still make a better one if you tried
hard enough). There is a small door at the bottom to remove the material which decomposes
first. There is no bottom on the bin, which allows macroscopic decomposers to enter. The bin
is also pitch black to help retain heat. The people at Eureka tell me that it holds 65 gallons, though the company
which made the bin advertises 80 gallons; I have not tested the capacity. All in all, it works quite well, putting
function before form. It costs $140.
You can also make your own compost bin; though you can’t quite be sure how it will turn out. If you are a
D.I.Y. sort of person, then, basically, these are the main factors which can make a good bin:
• Aeration – most decomposers are aerobic, meaning they need air
• Volume – more compost helps to retain heat and also creates more dirt
A common way to build a home-made compost bin is to make a 5’ by 5’ by 5’ framework of wood and to then
surround it with semipermeable metal mesh which is not so porous as to allow bits of compost to escape, nor to
allow undesired animals to enter.
As for the technique, there are multiple ways to slightly accelerate the process of decomposition:
• Agitate your compost occasionally by stirring it or churning it, this aids aeration
• Deposit your compost in layers to create differentiable environments for decomposers
• Maintain a proper moisture level – it should resemble a wrung-out sponge
Compostable Items
• Most food scraps
• Yard waste and deceased plants (if they are possibly diseased, leave them out)
• Paper, possibly tarnished with food such as coffee cups, napkins, and restaurant to-go paper bags
Avoid Putting these in your Composter
• Any meat, dairy, or oily substances
• Feces of any origin
Note: Forget the difference between greens and browns! The purpose of the distinction is to maintain a proper
balance of carbon and nitrogen. This can be ignored for two reasons:
1. You can never actually know how much carbon and nitrogen is in an object
2. Nobody can even agree on an optimal ratio of C:N, so you couldn’t even know what to aim for
Now you’ve got the information to guide your home composting, so get to it – make dirt, not waste!