Museum

Urban Composting

You will need:

• A dual compost tumbler (any one will work but it has to be dual). This is really important, because you need at least two chambers to cycle your compost properly. If you don’t have a dual chamber tumbler and you only have a single one, then you need a separate second container, and it’s more work*.
• Rubber gloves
• Any kind of metal mesh (I bought some gutter mesh, but you can also use chicken wire, any size)

Here is how to compost effectively in a more urban setting without lots of work or pissing off your neighbors:

1. Separate out your food scraps** from your trash. Most people use one of those countertop composting bins but I just use a spare tupperware so I can keep it more easily in my fridge and then it won’t stink because the scraps are refrigerated.
2. Put the food scraps in your compost tumbler. Use one side at a time. Spin the composter a few times every time you add stuff.
3. Every time you get a paper bag or cardboard box, sit in front of your favorite tv show or movie and tear it into bitty pieces***. Throw the paper into your composter.

That’s it. When your composter gets full, swap to the other side and start filling up that side. Make sure you spin both sides every time you add food scraps or cardboard. After some time, the first side will turn into nice compost that you can use, and then you can keep rotating sides. You'll know it's done when it smells like dirt and has the consistency of a very rich soil. You can then sift the compost using your wire mesh (this will remove any big clumps or stuff that hasn't 100% broken down) and use it in your garden.

Note that every once in a blue moon you might need to use your rubber gloves to really stir the compost around and remove it from being stuck to the sides. This isn't actually necessary but will make things break down faster.

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* If you don’t have a dual tumbler system (I don’t, personally), then you need to do compost rotation. When your primary bin gets full, swap to your secondary bin. OR move all the compost from one bin to another. If your compost is in a bin that can’t be rotated (like a tub or bucket), then you do have to take all the compost out, spread it on a tarp, and put it back periodically to introduce air. It’s just a lot easier to use a dual tumbler so you can rotate the compost without having to take it all out.

**Info about food scraps (aka Greens):
DON’T INCLUDE MEAT OR DAIRY. That is the #1 way to get maggots, rats, smells, and piss off your neighbors. ONLY add vegetables, fruit, coffee grounds, egg shells. Be careful with grains - I don’t worry too much about grains, but they can also attract pests. Other things you can add: organic cut flowers, garden waste, extra dirt, hair, cotton/wool/etc scraps (no polyester), poop but only from herbivores (rabbits, deer, etc). General rule of thumb is NO animal products. If you stick to these rules, you won’t get gross pests**** in your compost.

***Info about paper (aka Browns):
You ideally want a 2-1 ratio of Cardboard to Food scraps (so, twice as much cardboard as food scraps). I don’t ever measure or worry about this too much, I just tear up every box or paper bag that comes my way. Tearing up boxes is a lot of physical work, so you can use a heavy duty paper shredder instead, or just don’t do boxes at all and add other types of paper. DON'T add any tape, glue bits, or colored ink. You can also add anything that is dry and carbony: dead leaves, dead plants, mulch, wood chips, husks. This will also help your compost to NOT STINK (very important if you have neighbors).

****A small note about pests
You’re gonna have bugs. There will be worms, larvae, and centipedes in your compost. They will mostly stay in the compost and not bother you. As long as you’re adding plenty of paper and not adding animal products, you won’t get anything invasive or creepy like maggots, roaches, or rats.