Consumers can curb their environmental impact by composting, which helps break material down in ways that reduce the release of methane. This can be done whether someone lives in a home with a yard or in an apartment without outside space. Composting also alleviates pressure on landfill space and results in a nutrient-rich substance that help soil.<\/p>\n
Most landfill waste is organic, and it\u2019s driving climate change. Composting food scraps can cut methane emissions, and you don\u2019t need a backyard to do it. Here\u2019s how to start, wherever you live.<\/p>\n
Robert Reed, with the recycling and composting company Recology, said that applying compost makes soil better at retaining moisture, which makes it resilient against droughts, wildfires and erosion.<\/p>\n
For people who want someone else to compost their food scraps, some local governments offer curbside pickup. Otherwise, nonprofits, farmers markets and community gardens often fill that gap. Companies in some areas also will pick up the food waste to be taken away for composting for a fee. <\/p>\n
For those who want to try composting at home<\/a>, here\u2019s how to get started<\/a>. <\/p>\n If you\u2019ve got a yard<\/p>\n Composting doesn\u2019t necessarily require much space. Even 4 square feet \u2014 roughly the size of a standard office desk \u2014 can do the trick. Common receptacles include open wooden bins or large barrel-shaped tumblers that you can rotate on a metal rod. Free-standing piles also work.<\/p>\n Some people follow a strict schedule of turning the pile, often with a hoe or shovel, or adding to it regularly. Backyard composting typically relies on microbes to break down the waste, which can bring a pile\u2019s temperature up to 130-160 degrees Fahrenheit (54-71 degrees Celsius). Others follow a more passive approach.<\/p>\n Experts break the composting recipe down into four main ingredients: water, oxygen, nitrogen-rich \u201cgreens\u201d (food scraps, grass clippings) and carbon-rich \u201cbrowns\u201d (cardboard, dead leaves, shredded paper). Typically compost has two or three times as much \u201cbrown\u201d material as \u201cgreen.\u201d<\/p>\n The Environmental Protection Agency recommends against<\/a> meat, bones, dairy, fats and oils in backyard compost piles because they typically don\u2019t get hot enough to fully break them down, and because they\u2019re more likely to attract pests. The agency also says to steer clear of treated wood, glossy paper, pet waste and compostable dishware or bags. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Food scraps sit in a residential compost bin, Tuesday, July 29, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo\/Joshua A. Bickel)<\/p>\n Food scraps sit in a residential compost bin, Tuesday, July 29, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo\/Joshua A. Bickel)<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n Experts say composters can experiment with what works and what doesn\u2019t. Rodale Institute Senior Farm Director Rick Carr said he\u2019s tried animal products and just about everything in his household. Hair from the hair brush and fully cotton swabs break down great. Cotton T-shirts? Not at all.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re unsure if it\u2019ll break down, put it in there and you\u2019ll find out,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The bacteria and fungi feed on the pile of organic waste and turn it into compost. The finished product looks like moist, dark soil. The EPA says a well-tended pile can produce finished compost in three to five months, while a more passive pile that doesn\u2019t reach high temperatures may take up to a year.<\/p>\n Bob Shaffer, who owns a company called Soil Culture Consulting, said that for him, the process can take closer to nine months, but it\u2019s easy to tell when it\u2019s finished.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you look at compost, what you should not be able to see is, oh, there\u2019s a leaf. There\u2019s that carrot top that I put in there 10 months ago. You shouldn\u2019t be able to discern what the material is,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Common pitfalls<\/p>\n Most composting problems happen when the ingredients get out of whack. <\/p>\n One way to make sure you\u2019ve got the right balance of \u201cgreens\u201d and \u201cbrowns\u201d is a \u201csqueeze test,\u201d by reaching into the pile and grabbing a handful then letting it go, said Nora Goldstein, editor of the organics recycling magazine, Biocycle. <\/p>\n \u201cIf it just kind of crumbles off your hand, it\u2019s too dry. If you squeeze and get a little bit of drips, it\u2019s a little wet. But what you want is to squeeze it, let it go, and have kind of a coating on your hand.\u201d<\/p>\n When the pile gets too dry, the composting process slows down or stops. The answer: Hose it down or add more food scraps.<\/p>\n Another common problem is the opposite: there isn\u2019t enough air, or there are too many nitrogen-rich \u201cgreens.\u201d The first sign of trouble is when the compost pile smells. That typically means the microorganisms are dying and the pile is releasing methane, like in a landfill. The solution: stir the pile to get more air inside and allow it to cool down. Then add some cardboard or paper. A pile that\u2019s too wet can also attract flies, maggots and rodents. <\/p>\n \u201cAs long as you\u2019re mixing in enough amendment or browns, you\u2019ll stay out of trouble,\u201d Goldstein said.<\/p>\n If you lack outdoor space<\/p>\n Composting indoors is possible through what\u2019s known as vermicomposting, a process that relies on worms. People can buy premade worm bins, make their own out of untreated wood or use plastic storage bins with a few modifications, according to the EPA. The containers should have tight-fitting lids and keep out the light. Only certain types of worms will work, and they can be obtained from a worm grower or a neighbor who\u2019s already started vermicomposting. <\/p>\n Goldstein said that the process isn\u2019t always easy: \u201cYou really have to know what you\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A community compost bin sits outside a building Tuesday, July 29, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo\/Joshua A. Bickel)<\/p>\n A community compost bin sits outside a building Tuesday, July 29, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo\/Joshua A. Bickel)<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n Instead of relying on microbes, worms feed on the carbon- and nitrogen-rich organic matter. They poop out almost-black castings. That\u2019s the finished product. The EPA says it takes about three to six months, which can be faster than backyard composting. They can create a more nutritious end product than in traditional compost. <\/p>\n But Goldstein said that it can be tricky to ensure conditions are right for the worms. <\/p>\n \u201cYou want to make sure those worms are very happy, because if they\u2019re not, they will leave the bin. And they\u2019re not harmful, it\u2019s just a little freaky,\u201d said Goldstein.<\/p>\n Traditional composting, whether indoors or outdoors, is typically a process that takes place over months, not days, Goldstein said. Electric countertop devices that promise to break down food in hours or days don\u2019t use the same process. Goldstein said those devices produce material that can be used in gardens, but it\u2019s \u201cnot completely broken down\u201d and should be mixed with soil.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n The Associated Press\u2019 climate and environmental coverage<\/a> receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP\u2019s standards<\/a> for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Most of what goes into U.S. landfills is organic waste, ranging from household food scraps to yard trimmings.…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":105164,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[3425,67710,10109,10106,67709,168,746,57,67711,12578,67712,67713,159,1763,30094,61,67,132,68,8933],"class_list":{"0":"post-105163","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-animals","9":"tag-bob-shaffer","10":"tag-climate","11":"tag-climate-and-environment","12":"tag-climate-choices","13":"tag-domestic-news","14":"tag-environment","15":"tag-general-news","16":"tag-nora-goldstein","17":"tag-recycling","18":"tag-rick-carr","19":"tag-robert-reed","20":"tag-science","21":"tag-sustainability","22":"tag-u-s-environmental-protection-agency","23":"tag-u-s-news","24":"tag-united-states","25":"tag-unitedstates","26":"tag-us","27":"tag-waste-management"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114942970918761196","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105163"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105163\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/p>\n
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