12 Ways to Compost No Matter Where you Live
Composting is easily one of the best, easiest, and most rewarding things we can do for the planet. It prevents our food waste from going to the landfill and rewards us with brown gold aka free fertilizer to use on our own gardens (or give to someone who does garden).
But there are soooo many options for composting. Which one should you choose? It depends! Ask yourselves what your priorities are. Do you want something that can be done in an apartment or do you have yard space? Do you have the time and energy for something high maintenance or do you need something that you can set and forget ? Do you even want to compost yourself or just want to eliminate food waste from the landfill and want someone else to do it for you? What is your budget?
Let’s go over 12 different ways you can compost based on your needs but I can guarantee this list is all-inclusive and every single person will be able to find a way that works for them on this list.
Still confused why we need to prevent food waste from the landfill? Watch these videos:
Here’s why food waste in our landfills is so bad for the planet
We’re running out of landfill space and this data is shocking
These gasses cause climate change and one of them comes from our food waste
Curbside pickup green bins
This is clearly the easiest and cheapest option if you have access to it. Your city should provide you with a bin at little-to-no cost to you and it’s as easy as loading your bin with organic waste: food, yard waste, paper, etc. If you don’t know if your city offers it, try searching on Ecosia or Google something like “Spokane” + “composting” or “green bin” or “organic waste” and see if you get any results that way.
It may only be offered in certain parts of town so the other option is driving your organic waste to the compost facility if your neighborhood doesn’t fall into the curbside pickup route.
Spokane has curbside composting, but I live on the Air Force base, so I personally don’t have access to curbside compost pickup. This is the first city I’ve lived in that offers it so I’m not super knowledgeable about it other than what I just outlined. So, if you do curbside compost and have tips, tricks, or more information, I would love to learn more below!
Pros:
Generally free or low-cost
Little work on your part
Generally, the only place to successfully and safely compost bioplastics
Cons:
Not offered in every city or in every part of each city
Can sometimes come with a pick-up cost depending on the region
Compost pile
This is the easiest and cheapest option at home if you don’t have curbside compost or if you want to keep those golden nutrients to yourself. Compost piles require little-to-no effort on your part, just pile up your organic waste in a corner of your yard and let it decompose! Of course, this is only if you have the space for it. Pests are also a deterrent for this method, but let me tell you, my mom does compost like this and has seen nothing but success. It’s far enough away from her house that the few raccoons and potential mice that get in it don’t bother her and also help to break down the compost.
If you want to get more serious, you can get in there with a pitchfork and flip the compost every now and then, but this is not required. Other tips for a successful compost pile include the correct proportions of greens and browns, adding some water in dry climates, and making sure your pile has enough airflow. Of course, this applies to any at-home method, but is not necessary for the pile to see success. Also, if you compost correctly, there should be barely any noticeable smell. Let me know if you’d like to see a composting tips video!
Pros:
Free or very little cost
Requires no equipment or tools
Can be left alone and can require no work if you choose
Cons:
Easiest method to attract pests
Takes some work to yield accessible compost to use as fertilizer
No lid can equal some smell
Requires the most space/largest yard availability
Compost bin in an old tub
This is my tried and true method for living in an apartment with a tiny yard. I made my own compost bin in 2020 out of items I found in the trash! So, this option can be free or you can buy fancy bins depending on what you want to do. This method works great for folks with a small outdoor space to utilize but can’t have a huge pile and also need something that can be removed since you’re just a temporary tenant.
The same rules apply, you need good portions of greens and browns, maybe some water if you live in a dry climate, good air flow, and give it a nice stir every now and then.
Pros:
Can be totally free to make (or low-cost to make)
Great for renters
Great for small outdoor spaces
Cons:
Nicer, pre-made bins can get expensive
Can require a bit of work in such a small environment
Hard to stir it around
Compost spinning bin
This is what I used when I was in Vegas and this is NOT the best bin for the desert. These bins don’t hold moisture very well so I often had to add lots of water to help it break down. That being said, I loved that these bins were very easy to stir the compost around. My larger bin broke down much more than the smaller one. The small one had a bar in the middle that made mixing difficult, so I recommend something larger with nothing obstructing the compost in the middle.
I think this is a great beginner compost bin while you learn the composting tips and what works well for you. They’re especially easy to stir for folks with disabilities or immobility issues and can be fun to use with kids, too!
Pros:
Great for beginners
Easy to find secondhand, so it can potentially be cheap
Great for renters
Great for smaller outdoor spaces
Cons:
Not great in dry climates
Not the best compost yield, took longer to break down than my homemade bin
Nice, big ones can get very expensive
Vermicompost
This means it’s time to break out the worms! Worms are great at composting, they eat most of it and poop out the rest and make rich fertilizer with little work on your part. This type of composting can be done on a small scale (even indoors) or on a large scale but adding worms to any of the already discussed composting options. Of course, now you have to be responsible for worms and don’t want to harm them.
Speaking of harm, you can’t compost highly acidic things in vermicompost. Things like onions, citrus, and things of that nature can harm the worms, even kill them. So, that’s some things that would still have to go to the landfill.
Pros:
Can be done in small, indoor spaces
Great for renters
This can be done for low cost on a DIY level
Worms do most of the work for you!
Cons:
Not everything can be composted in a vermicompost bin
Nice, pre-made bins can get expensive
Can take a while to learn how to do it properly
Not just a set-it-and-forget-it compost setting, requires constant work, though not that difficult
Bokashi compost
Another great small option for composting for those apartment dwellers! Bokashi composting is fermenting food waste, yeah, sounds kind of gross, but I promise it can still be done in close quarters. You layer your compostable materials with Bokashi inoculant in a very specific bucket (so, it can be DIY’d but may take more work than just acquiring any random tub). This inoculant is usually a wheat germ, wheat bran, or sawdust. It’s similar to a composting toilet if you’re familiar with that. The inoculant is then combined with molasses and effective microorganisms. The microorganisms feed off the molasses and a liquid is produced as a by-product. Bokashi buckets come with a spigot to drain off this liquid which can also serve as a fertilizer for plants.
This is easily the fastest compost option we’ve discussed thus far and you can add this to your plants in just 10 days. But, it’s not really compost, just fermented waste. It will continue to compost in your garden.
It also differs in that it requires NO oxygen, unlike other composting options. The bucket should only be opened to add more materials and that’s it. This is great cause it requires no work from you.
Pros:
This can be done in very small spaces, even indoors
Great for renters
Liquid byproduct creates extra fertilizer
Very quick turnaround
Cons:
Special set-up is required since NO oxygen can be present, making DIY options harder, but not impossible
Can get pricey, especially since you continually have to buy the inoculant
Lomi
You thought Bokashi was fast? Lomi will have you compost in 24 hours or less! But, like Bokashi, Lomi doesn’t produce real compost. Lomi is a machine, it’s like commercial composting at home. And, because it’s so fast, it’s essentially just dehydrating your food scraps, not composting them. So, you can still add it to plants and add it to existing compost piles and it will continue to break down there.
Lomi is very easy to use, very sleek and modern looking, and is great for small spaces. I made a full video breaking down the Lomi and its effectiveness and eco-ness, you can check that out here.
Since moving into the RV, this has been the sole way I compost for the last 5 months or so. And, since it is a piece of tech, it can malfunction. One time some wires came loose but Dan was easily able to fix them. Another time I added too much bread and the compost just cemented in the bottom, inhibiting the blade from spinning. This required us to take the bucket completely apart to get the dehydrated food cement out.
Pros:
Modern and sleek design looks great on countertops
Great for small spaces and renters
Uses no more energy than an average home appliance
Little-to-no smell
Easy to use and operate
Requires little work to actually get compost
Can easily and safely break down bioplastics
Cons:
VERY expensive, not a budget option
Machines break and malfunction
Does require electricity to run
Does not yield true compost
Requires filter changes every few months
ShareWaste
Want to compost but don’t want (or can’t) do any work? Give it to someone else to use! We have a few suggestions in this category, the first of which is ShareWaste. This app/website allows you to find composters in your region who will take your compost off your hands. It would just require you to drop it off.
This is great for folks without the space and/or the time to compost themselves but don’t want to send that food to the landfill. Plus, what a great way to make friends and build a community!
Pros:
Free to use the app/website
Great way to connect with like-minded folks
Cons:
Does require you to drop it off which can cost gas money and take up time
Not always options for every region within the app/website
Can be difficult to arrange mutual times for drop-offs
Local farms
Similar to using ShareWaste which may require a little more effort on your part is to reach out to local farmers to see if they can use your food waste. Instead of an app telling you where to drop it off in your city, you may have to call around to local farms and orchards yourself, but it can still yield the same success.
This is great for folks without the space, time, and/or energy to compost themselves and is still a great way to get involved in your community and make friends.
Pros:
Free way to compost
Great way to connect with like-minded folks
No matter where you live there is likely a farm, even Vegas had farms!
Cons:
Can take a bit of work to find someone
Can be difficult to arrange mutual times for drop-offs
Does require you to drop it off which can cost gas money and take up time
A friend you know
It could also be as simple as asking a friend to compost for you if you know they already compost. I had a friend in Vegas who would come drop off their compost every now and then into my bins. It’s totally free, easy, and a great excuse to get together with friends more often.
If none of your in-person friends compost, make some local friends online! For example, I have a group in Spokane called “Zero Waste Spokane” I could ask on there if anyone composts and now I can get rid of my compost and I just made a friend!
Pros:
Free way to compost
Great way to connect with like-minded folks
Will likely be able to find someone no matter where you live
Cons:
Can take a bit of work to find someone
Can be difficult to arrange mutual times for drop-offs
Does require you to drop it off which can cost gas money and take up time
Community gardens
Not only is this a great spot to drop off your compost for free, but it’s also a reward! Get involved with your community garden and you may reap the benefits of fresh fruits and veg
Again, this is a great way to find a community, and make friends, but can require some work on your part. Nothing crazy, but you will have to dig around on Google to find a community garden in your area, what their hours are, and if they’re even accepting compost. But, once you get established with a routine, it’s free and easy
Pros:
Free way to compost
Great way to connect with like-minded folks
Probably common in bigger cities
Can also yield fresh produce
Cons:
May not have one in small cities/towns
Can take a bit of work to find someone
Does require you to drop it off which can cost gas money and take up time
Feed it to your livestock or pets
If you have livestock, they can do all the composting for you and you can cut back on your feed costs! Livestock like chickens, pigs, goats, cows, and more eat just about anything and can speed up the breakdown time. Plus, their waste will serve as fertilizer, too!
You can set them loose in your compost area to break it down faster or just feed your food waste directly to them, though you may not yield too much compost if they eat most of it.
Pros:
Can save you money on livestock feed
Free if you already have animals
Cons:
Not every animal can eat everything, so research before you feed them willy-nilly
May not yield a lot (if any) of compost if that is your goal
Thank you so much for reading along, I hope you now have the perfect way to compost for you and your family! Which ones have you tried and which ones do you enjoy now?
Let me know if you’d like to see more composting videos and what topics you would like me to cover!
As always, remember that your small actions make a big difference in the long run :)
Emma
