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If I live in an apartment, how can I put my food waste to compost? (feddit.online)

submitted 7 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Hey all,

In my recent post about popcorn kernels, I had a comment suggest that I could also just put the leftover kernels or stale popcorn to use for compost.

This has been something I've been thinking of for a while now. Guilty as charged, I've let good food spoil in my fridge while I've been figuring out what to do with it. While this has been getting better as I've been learning more vegan substitutions as I'm new to being vegan, as well as home cooking in general, I don't want to throw my food waste in with the garbage as I have been doing for eons now when situations arise where something spoils on me.

My issue is that, while I was taught how composting works in school, they only ever taught us how to do so if we lived in a detached home that had a backyard. I have always lived in apartment buildings, and currently am living on a second floor apartment unit. While my city does allow for people to separate food waste from other garbage and recycling, and even encourages it, my current building does not have a designated area for food waste.

What options are available to me when it comes to disposing of food waste so that in the end, my waste isn't quite "waste"? I should also likely add that I live in an area with a colder climate where winter (which is coming up soon here) often hits -30 C.

Thanks in advance!

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

Many community gardens have a compost bin that the community is welcome to use. Might be worth looking into.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

You could do worms, it's easy to get started and I think low enough smell you could keep them indoors.

https://learn.eartheasy.com/articles/worm-composting-basics-for-beginners/

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Might be a hard sell to the landlord honestly, but I can ask them if that's an option available regardless.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

You don't need to inform them...

[–] [email protected] 1 points 15 hours ago

I posted this eight months ago.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

It's just a bin in your kitchen.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

With worms though? Wouldn't they see that as a potential pest attractor?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

Not if you're doing it right. Worms should eat things before flies have a chance. The air holes are too small for mice or anything.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

In my region we get a compost bin from the city. A special dump truck collects it for composting.

However, I have seen people using composters on their rooftop gardens. It kinda looked like a bbq grill, but with a big wheel on one side to flip it. That could be for you, if you have rooftop access.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

Unfortunately not, but we do have a community garden on the property grounds. I can try to find someone familiar with it and ask them.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

Do you have a balcony?

I freeze my scraps until I have enough to make vegetable or chicken broth/stock, and then after the broth I have a vermipost bin (worm bin) on my balcony. Since I'm in an apartment by myself, this is the easiest way. I give the worm tea and castings to my sister if I'll be visiting her or to the community garden since there's not enough light on my balcony to grow anything. This is my first time living somewhere with winter (I previously lived in warmer climates), so I did need to bring my worms in for the winter so they didn't freeze (of you have extra space in a utility closet that could be a spot), and there was no smell as other had mentioned, as long as you don't overwhelm them the worms do a good job of processing everything in a timely manner. Giving them crushed eggshells and coffee grounds really helps with this as well.

I've known friends that made a countertop sized worm bin with less worms and had no problem with it right in the kitchen of their small apartment.