Composting Options For Small, Indoor, and Restricted Spaces

Composting, the natural decomposition of food waste and other organic matter that can reduce landfill waste and methane generation while creating a wonderful soil amendment, is quickly gaining support from organizations and individuals. Backyard composting is a popular and much documented practice that is followed by many home gardeners to create compost, build healthy soils, and reduce waste sent to landfills.

As composting has increased, homeowners in small spaces or restricted situations have been looking for composting options that can work for them. These possibilities range from small, enclosed outdoor composting bins to worm composting that is practical indoors, specialized systems that partially decompose food waste to speed up complete composting, and community and residential pickup-based programs.

Composting’s time is here and while some of us face space or rule restrictions, there are solutions that can enable everyone to participate and contribute to improving the environment and natural ecology that benefits us all. Let’s talk briefly about the basics of home composting and then discuss the available choices.

Composting Basics

Compost is the result of the decomposition of organic materials like food and yard waste into a rich, dark, soil-like substance called humus. The decomposition is done by organisms including bacteria, protozoa, fungi, beetles, and earthworms, depending on the process used.

While organic matter will decompose over time under most circumstances, you can speed the process:

• Create compost batches from high carbon (brown) and high nitrogen (green) materials. Typical browns include yard wastes like leaves, straw, wood chips and sawdust. They can include household wastes like food-soiled napkins, paper towels, shredded non-glossy paper, and cardboard. Greens can include grass clippings, green garden waste, fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags, eggshells, and pet/human hair.
• Home composters should not include meat, grease, bones, dairy products, oils, or egg yolks. They take longer to decompose and can attract varmints. Never use pressure treated wood residue, coal or charcoal dust, black walnut leaves/twigs, pet waste, or herbicide- treated or diseased plant waste.
• To achieve “hot composting,” which can reach temperatures of 130° or more, create batches where the ratio of browns to greens is either equal or 2:1 by volume. Hot composting provides the fastest decomposition while helping kill weed seeds and pathogens.
• Cut materials into small pieces to speed up decomposition time by increasing the surface area for microbes to attack. Chop up kitchen waste and leaves to help the process.
• Aerate the pile by turning it regularly, typically weekly. As materials break down, the batch will settle, forcing air out of the pile, making the decomposition anaerobic and generating odors and unwanted methane gas.
• Compost batches should be moist but not drippy. While aerating, check moisture. Add water if dry. If dripping wet, increase aeration frequency and cover it if rain is expected.

• A good size compost batch is a 3- or 4-foot cube. This is small enough to manage but large enough to provide the insulation necessary for the core to reach the desired high temperatures. Smaller batches will still decompose but will take longer and are more likely to sprout weeds.   Time from initiation to completion of a compost batch can be from 3 or 4 months to a year or more, depending on material and management. Compost is ready when the material is loose, dark, rich smelling, and the inputs are no longer recognizable.
• Before use, consider screening the compost to separate older, finished compost from less decomposed, newer inputs that require longer processing.

For a very good introduction to backyard composting, refer to Backyard Composting from the Virginia Cooperative Extension.

Neighborhood Restrictions

Problems in neighborhoods where there are restrictive covenants or neighbor objections about perceived risks of smells or varmint problems may be resolved by using closed containers. There are many types of containers available via an internet search. Rotatable drums are a good option. They make aeration simple, minimize odors, speed decomposition, and may offer dual bins that allow multiple small batches to be managed.

The lead photo of the article is a home-made food waste composting solution that was developed by a clever local master gardener with a limited city garden space. She cut holes in the side and bottom of a small metal trash can and buried it in her garden bed. Nearly invisible, it allows water and worm penetration through the holes and drainage through the bottom, it’s easy to aerate and moisten, has no odor or varmint issues and produces a steady supply of usable compost that she applies as needed to pots and garden soil. Well done!

When an Indoor Method is Required…

There are a variety of possible approaches for composters who are limited to interior spaces.

• Vermicomposting (Worm Composting) uses special earthworms (red wigglers) to eat and excrete fruit and vegetable wastes mixed with shredded paper and/or leaves to create nutrient- and microorganism-rich “castings” —  a great soil amendment. It can be done cleanly and is a good solution for apartment dwellers as it can be placed under the sink, in a closet, or a garage if the temperature is in the 65-70 degree range. This EPA publication provides “how-to” details.

• Bokashi bucket composting is a Japanese technique that ferments kitchen scraps (including meat and dairy) anaerobically, using an inoculant that includes anaerobic microorganisms to prepare the scraps for rapid decomposition after it is added to healthy soil. The organic material and inoculant are layered in an airtight bucket with a spigot at the bottom to drain (liquid) leachate. The materials are pressed to squeeze air out and allowed to ferment for a couple of weeks. The leachate can be drained and diluted with water by about 100:1 and used as a fertilizer. The solids are not compost yet, but when mixed into soil are rapidly decomposed by soil organisms to complete decomposition over a couple of months. The process is quick, provides good soil benefit, reduces landfilled organic waste, and is relatively inexpensive. Buckets can be purchased or homemade, and the inoculant costs about $8-10 per month depending on the volume of material processed. It can be done in a garage, which keeps it out of the residence and allows it to operate year-round. A thorough writeup describing Bokashi Bucket Composting is presented by the Bernalillo NM County Extension Master Composters, and an informative video is available from the College of DuPage titled Bokashi Composting.
• Countertop Composters are another possibility. Be careful however. Know what you are buying. Some items called countertop composters are simply food waste collection bins. There are, however, electrically-powered devices that heat, aerate, grind, and mix food wastes and other compostable inputs, generally with a proprietary probiotic tablet or powder, to produce a product that can be added to soil or a compost bin for rapid decomposition. Where Bokashi requires a couple of weeks for fermentation to complete, these units provide a fine-ground material in a matter of hours. Manufacturers may call the product compost or dirt, but in fact the output is neither. However, it does provide a fast and clean first step toward creating compost, while reducing the landfilling of food and other organic wastes. Cost of the equipment can be expensive, up to $500. Cost of inoculant and carbon filters (desirable since the units sit on kitchen counters) can run about $40 per quarter. I haven’t been able to find non-commercial information on these products, but on-line information is available under countertop composters.

City and County Drop-off Options

• While the McIntire Recycling Center and the Ivy Material Utilization Center may be more widely known for their recycling activities, they also have well run, active composting programs. They can handle meat and dairy products, and they provide free collection bags. Check the highlighted links for guidance.
• For Charlottesville residents, there are a number of convenient ways to drop off food and organic wastes for composting:
  • Food scraps including meat, dairy and certified compostable plastics can be dropped off at City Market on Saturdays from April to October. Compostable bags are available at no charge from the collection location. For details, check out Composting at City Market.
  • Charlottesville also offers a free service where residents can register to get a code for access to one of several convenient drop off sites in the city. Sites are unstaffed and available 24/7, for resident convenience. Find details at Compost drop-off 24/7.

Residential Pick-up Possibilities

 Another option that became increasingly popular during the Covid years, is residential pickup. Two local collection and composting companies have established convenient and affordable programs that are available to residents in and around Charlottesville/Albemarle. The programs are similar but offer different options to fit resident preferences. The basic options typically include a modest sign-up fee, a monthly charge for pickup, options for kitchen waste and yard waste with appropriate bucket or bin, and some free finished compost once or twice a year, along with discounts on bulk purchases. Negotiating a small neighborhood or HOA pickup program may also be a possibility. Review these links from Black Bear Composting and Life Cycle Organics to see the basics.

Some Important Details for Residents

 In speaking with the composting pros for this article, it was clear that we, the public, have a big influence on the success of the composting programs:

• Avoid “wish-cycling”. Don’t try to recycle material that is not compostable, and that will reduce the usefulness of the final compost. When in doubt, better to dispose of the bad stuff. Examples include:
  • Removing plastic tags from fruit and vegetable skins
  • Be sure papers are “compostable”  — not just bio-degradable
  • Don’t save paper from plastic-lined food packaging like milk and ice cream containers and plastic-lined paper coffee cups
  • Understand which items are and aren’t acceptable for the process or program you are employing and follow the guidelines.
  • No pesticide- or insecticide-treated yard waste
• When in doubt, contact the sponsoring organization or knowledgeable individual and follow their guidance.

Including non-compostable trash in the mix reduces the quality and attractiveness of the finished product. Let’s not undermine the process through carelessness.

The Solutions Exist

A lack of concern for excessive food and yard waste disposal is contributing to environmental damage and climate change. Composting these organic products offers an effective way to reduce the negative impacts while improving our soils. Commercial and community options are available to enable just about everyone to participate in this important practice. If you are not currently a composter, please review the options presented here and consider adopting one that makes sense to you and your situation. Let’s make a difference.

Sources:

Lead photo: Master Gardener Hidden Composter, Photo: Fern Campbell

“Making Compost from Yard Waste,” VA. Coop.Ext. https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/426/426-703/SPES-393.pdf

Tips for limiting food waste: https://piedmontmastergardeners.org/value-your-food-food-saving-tips-for-reducing-food-waste/