I am so excited by my recent foray into NYC composting. We live in an apartment. We don't have a yard. I thought we couldn't compost...until I discovered that many community gardens in the city accept kitchen scraps for composting. To my delight, the garden a block from our place is one of those gardens. After I learned this, I started saving compostables in a plastic container in the fridge. And then another....and another... To my amazement, the two of us produced FOUR large containers of compost in a single week!
Astonishing, I know, but that is the result of one week around here. And we ate out several times! The garden was open today, so somewhat nervously, I headed over to do the actual drop-off. I was greeted with this encouraging sign:
The garden was also very lovely. I found the compost bins toward the back. It was simple as it could be! Open the latched screen on the bin:
Then cover the food scraps with a layer of leaves from this handy container:
Nifty! I am so glad I discovered that urban composting is not only possible, it is easy! I plan to buy a larger tub for the fridge to collect food scraps so I can take them over once a week and don't have to use up all the plastic containers. One bonus of the fridge storage method is that the scraps don't get stinky. Also, I just put the containers on the counter while making dinner and had a handy place to toss scraps right at my finger tips. Rachael Ray would be so proud!
Well this makes me feel more than a little guilty. I do throw old lettuce out in the canyon for the bunnies, but that is it. I've been justifying this by saying that the food helps break down the other garbage in the dump, but I highly doubt that. I love the fridge idea, b/c it keeps the stink low.
ReplyDeleteWell, I don't know if I would be doing it if it weren't for the local drop-off. I also had that thought about the food helping in the dump, but on the other hand, once I started saving it, I was amazed at how much we produce.
ReplyDeleteBut dude, no guilt intended! I was just excited.
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ReplyDeleteIf you talk with an expert (like Dad) on Solid waste landfills - they are supposedly very inert. What you put in is tombed for posterity!!!!
ReplyDeleteAli, don't be too hard on yourself. You would need to drive to a community garden, if you could find one. What is needed is compost pick-up by the garbage company, like Lore had in Germany. I Think Berkeley & other cities may be starting that.