“Your Composting Guidebook”
What Is Composting and Why Do It?
Compost is any mixture of decaying organic matter, often excess food, used for fertilizing and conditioning land to grow new life. When I speak to people about composting, there is an impression of big bins that are difficult to fit in a New York City apartment and lifestyle, but it can actually be simple and easy to add to your weekly routine! Once you have a system in place, it becomes quite easy to maintain and can be added to your normal chores like vacuuming, mopping, and taking out the trash. Whether that is every few days or once a week- that part is up to you!
We can collectively do better at composting. Over 50% of typical municipal garbage set out at the curb is compostable (Institute for Local Self Reliance). There are so many ways composting helps our environment, soil, and systems around us.
According to the EPA, a few benefits of composting include:
Enriching soil by helping retain moisture and suppressing plant diseases and pests,
Reducing the need for chemical fertilizers,
Encouraging the production of beneficial bacteria and fungi that break down organic matter to create humus, a rich nutrient-filled material, and
Reducing methane emissions from landfills and lowering your carbon footprint.
According to UNEP, food loss and waste generate an estimated 8-10% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while land and water usage put increasing pressure on biodiversity (UNEP). Composting diverts organic material from landfills and avoids the emission of methane - an extremely potent GHG - as they decompose (Composting Council).
Moreover, with current and forecasted population growth, the pressure on agricultural land is growing. Composting your food scraps onto land that is intended for gardening or growing crops is a great way to reintroduce nutrients and maintain land health.
What Goes In Your Compost Bin?
ALL FOOD WASTE, including:
coffee grounds and tea bags
shells (seafood, nut, and egg)
spoiled and expired food
food-soiled paper (napkins, towels, uncoated plates, bags, trays, boxes)
Yard and Plant Waste, including:
leaves
spent flowers and trimmings
small twigs
grass clippings
BPI-approved compostable items.
DO NOT add:
Trash of any kind including:
diapers and hygienic products
animal waste
wrappers and packaging
foam products
coal or charcoal ash
bones
meat
fat, lard or oils
Recyclables including:
metal
glass
rigid plastic
beverage cartons
clean recyclable paper
cardboard
Source: NYC.org
How Do You Compost?
Coming from the Jersey suburbs, I always had a backyard garden for my compost. Moving to Hell’s Kitchen in Manhattan was quite a change!. I knew I wanted to continue to compost, so I needed a plan. First, where in the world would I store compost in a tiny apartment? This was fairly simple to figure out. Currently I have a tall canister I use for my compost that I store in my freezer. Eggshells, veggie peelings, and coffee grinds - they all go in! I strongly recommend using storage with a lid: it helps with the smell.
The next question was trickier: once the bin is full, where do I bring it? That took quite a bit of research!
After it’s filled to the brim, I go to my local compost drop-off park on 52nd St. between 9th and 10th Ave. I love this park - it’s not too big, not too small - and always has room in the bins for my compost. I’ve never had an issue of the compost overflowing so I know the city is actively picking up these bins. Below is the sign you can find at every New York City food scrap drop-off site:
I used to joke with my friends that if I had not grown up composting my scraps, I probably would have given up! But I have persevered on my compost journey, and am here to tell you it can be done! Here are some tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way:
If you have more space in a small garden or balcony than inside your apartment:
Composting is a lot easier if you take advantage of this space!
Keeping your compost outdoors helps minimize any unpleasant smells you might encounter.
If your compost bin is near your garden, you can apply the propagated soil directly from the bin to your land.
When my family composts at home, we use this composting bin that we can turn to propagate soil:
If you have limited outdoor space:
Your freezer is your best friend! Storing your food scraps in the freezer will help prevent smells and is easy to take out.
There are a few fancier composting containers on the market now, but they’re not necessary! You can take an old box, tupperware, canister, etc. and use that as storage. There are also Package Free compost bins like these which include a charcoal filter to help with smells.
Food cyclers like these can keep your compost fresh and help develop soil for your garden.
No matter where you compost, remember:
All food scraps can be mixed with soil (even coffee grinds)!
Don’t include bones!
Pro tip: Citrus peels are a great source of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium which make your soil even more nutritious for crop growth!
Depending on where you live, local governments provide different options for disposing of your compost! Check out a few resources to learn more about composting in the city, and keep us posted on your adventures!
If curbside compost is unavailable in your area, you can make a request via the NYC government website. The more people that submit a request, the higher the chance it will be made available!
3. Local Gardeners / Community Gardens such as this HK Clinton Community Garden
4. Workshops in NYC to learn more about composting and related topics