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Want to divert your food waste
to a compost bin but don't think you have the space? Believe it or
not, if you have even a small balcony or unused corner in your
apartment, there's a way to compost!
Here are a few ways for apartment dwellers who want to compost. Not sure if it's for you? Start small and see what works for you.
Here are a few ways for apartment dwellers who want to compost. Not sure if it's for you? Start small and see what works for you.
What
You'll Need
Kitchen food scraps
Dry (brown) material
Composter of choice
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Indoor
compost bin
One
of the cheapest, easiest ways to compost with minimal space is to
use a metal garbage can modified for use as a compost bin. This
method costs only as much as you're willing to put down for your
garbage bin and other supplies.
You
will need a garbage bin in a size of your choosing (drilled with
holes), newspaper, a rubber mat, potting mix, composted manure,
old furniture legs or small wooden legs, and of course, food
scraps. It will take approximately 3 months to generate usable
compost.
When
properly aerated and kept, with a balance between food scraps and
dry material, kitchen bins will largely be odourless.
Fermentation
(Bokashi)
The
Bokashi Composting System uses a microbial agent to ferment food
scraps to produce ready-to-use compost in two weeks. Unlike other
composters, you can compost meat, fish, and dairy, with no gross
smells or bugs -- all you need to do is add your food scraps and
the bran containing the necessary micro-organisms to anaerobically
ferment your kitchen waste.
Once
the fermentation is completed, the compost scraps (or pre-compost)
can be added to a worm bin or buried directly into soil. They'll
take anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks to integrate into the soil,
depending upon local soil biological activity and local climate.
You can also convert the pre-compost into usable potting soil.
Starter
kits, complete with bin and bran, start at $50.
Electric
composters
If
you're short on square footage, a mechanized composter is a
garbage can-sized unit that can easily be stowed in a standard
cabinet.
Electric
composters mix, heat, and aerate food scraps before transferring
the material to a lower chamber, which produces fresh,
garden-ready compost -- every two weeks!
Vermicomposting
Vermi-what?
Vermicomposting refers to composting using worms and taps into the
digestive talents of wriggly earthworms to break down organic
matter into compost. It's good for small spaces but can also be
used as a substitute or supplement to backyard composting.
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You
can find out more about fermenting compost at the Bokashi website
here.
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Though
odour-free and small, the composters can get pricey, so be
prepared to pay upwards of $100 for a unit.
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