Cute Composting

by Catherine Evans May 20, 2022

In two months, my county will begin requiring everyone to separate their food waste from their regular trash and dispose of it with the green waste. You heard right. In the middle of summer, we will start throwing uneaten chicken nuggets, coffee grinds, and expired meat (that I didn't cook because we ate out instead) straight into the green waste bin which they (the county) suggest should be lined with leaves to mitigate the mess in the bin. Sooooo.......yay. I should mention that you should not throw compost into your regular green waste unless your waste management service has instructed you to do so. If you live in an area that doesn't require you to compost, you can look for alternative services that take food waste, or research composting for your yard (which typically does not take meat scraps).

I know kitchen composting has been around. I realize it's a great way to add nutrients to the soil in your yard. But, this is a little different as we'll be required to include meat scraps. So, I've been scouring the internet in hopes to find ways to easily transition our family into this new way of life. You never know, maybe a raised bed garden is in the future for us once we become Captains of Composting. Here are a few tips and suggestions I've come across that may make this adventure less yucky. And, dare I say, maybe even cute.

COMPOSTABLE TRASH BAGS

So, this was the best bit of news I found in my research. There are actual plastic-like bags that are 100% compostable. Phew! I won't have to throw loose chicken bones in my bin. I double-checked with our county's waste management guidelines and they accept compostable bags, well. This means that I can turn whatever kind of storage bin I want into my compost bin with my handy-dandy bag liner! A quick google search yielded a plethora of options from Target, Grove, Amazon...etc. In the event that I ever run out of my compost bags, a paper bag is also an acceptable compostable bag.

REUSE SCRAPS INSTEAD OF TOSSING

This one seems a little ambitious but stay with me. If you're already disposing of scraps into a container separate from your regular trash, why not save vegetable cuttings and make a vegetable stock like this one from Tasty. There are all kinds of recipes for beef and chicken stock, as well. Better stock up on totally adorable mason jars now! How impressed will my house guests be when they find jars of homemade stock in my fridge?! Very impressed I'm sure.

FIND A CUTE STORAGE BIN

Here's the fun part. SHOPPING! Whether you need to store your compost on the counter, under the counter or in the freezer depends on your individual needs. Luckily, there's an adorable storage option no matter which way you go. Here are my favorites:

COUNTERTOP BINS

Pink!? Yes, please.

Loving the pretty butterflies.

This copper just looks fancy.

UNDER-CABINET STORAGE

This sweet bin can be hung on the side of the cabinet or on the inside of a cabinet door.

FREEZER STORAGE

Another storage solution I came across was freezer storage. For the especially warm months, food scraps can be particularly smelly. I came across this Huffpost article where the author suggests silicon storage bags that fit easily in the freezer and are dishwasher safe for easy cleaning after they are emptied. Like this adorable lavender set from ziptop.com.

In conclusion, this isn't going to be so hard. ;)