On Facebook we’ve all seen the videos and photos of how clear the skies and oceans and rivers are because of shelter in place, because humans have been under shelter-in-place. During
quarantine, I have had a lot of time to contemplate what I can do to make my lifestyle more
sustainable, reducing the environmental harm I cause outside of my home. One thing I decided to start doing for myself is start a compost bin. The pros of starting my own bin versus commercial compost are:

  • I don’t have to pay a monthly bill,
  •  it would reduce my guilt about food waste
  • it would encourage me to eat more vegetarian meals so most of my food waste can go into the compost.

After three months, I have a pretty  healthy compost bin around the corner of my house. I am by no means close to being zero waste, but even taking this one step towards a more sustainable lifestyle has encouraged and motivated me to research and invest more into sustainability propositions and alternatives.

Here’s how I made my own compost:
1. I took an unused storage bin (18 gal/50 qt), drilled (or poked), holes in the lid and the
bottom.
2. Threw some sticks, dried leaves, bark and dirt in at the bottom to make sure I have an
aerated mixture and it doesn’t get too dense. Oxygen is key to the decomposition!
3. Started adding my food scraps.
4. Stir the mixture once a week

To keep your compost healthy, you need to be adding scraps with a healthy balance of both carbon and nitrogen. For me, I throw in a handle of leaves whenever I add food compost to the bin to keep the brown v. green material in balance. Here is the link I use to check which composting materials fall into either carbon- or nitrogen-rich matter.

Making my own compost has been a fun way to reassess how I eat as well as a sustainable way
to give back to my plants and take a little better care of the planet.

Since starting my own compost, I have completely reassessed my relationship to food and sustainability. The process has been a fun and rewarding way to reconnect with the cycles of regeneration that create and contribute to a more sustainable life..

Photo credit: Chandra Oh via Pexels