Composting in the Home 

Each meal we make in our home is good for our health. It provides us with nutrients, essential for our growth. On the other side, making our meals also has adverse impacts upon our environment through the waste generated from our cooking activities. A delicious meal on the table is pleasant to our stomachs. Yet before it gets on the table, in the kitchen it would have generated organic and inorganic waste such as vegetables leaflets and a plastic juice bottles which we do not consume, rather we dispose them as waste.

The waste we generate in our homes is hazardous to our public health and the environment if mishandled. As it decomposes, it releases harmful chemicals capable of pollution. Waste is a serious contributor of climate change and global warming through landfills, among surface and ground water contamination. Certain measures can be carried out at home to prevent this case.

Waste segregation at home into organic and inorganic waste is a key effective measure that can be practiced to reduce the amount of waste sent to our landfills. Sorting waste based on its type helps to easily apply measures which recover value out of it. Composting organic waste into manure for gardening, reusing plastic materials for packaging purposes and recycling cans and tins through waste collectors are some of the initiatives that we can apply at home to harness the value and resources which exist in our waste.

Composting is the decomposition of organic waste in the presence of oxygen (aerobic) facilitated by microorganisms (bacteria and worms) into manure which is a rich-nutrient compound that adds value to plants and soil. When decomposition occurs anaerobically (lack of oxygen), it produces methane, becoming an environmental threat, driving climate change. Hence, when composting, ensure aerobic decomposition by turning the compost pile with a hand fork or any applicable tools to aerate it.

Open air and in-ground composting are the outdoors traditional methods of decomposing organic waste. The methods are cost-effective as they do not require complicated equipment and resources. With bare land available, either in your backyard or garden, you are good to go with composting at home. Open air composting piles a stock of organic waste on bare land. In-ground composting requires digging a hole or a trench where you bury the organic waste. Decomposition occurs naturally due to the presence of oxygen in the air, organic matter and moisture from waste, and sunlight.

Tumbler compost and vermicompost (worm farm) are some of the emerging technologies being applied to compost organics at home. The methods are smarter as they are done indoors because decomposition is completed in mechanised containers. The benefit is that the methods perform better in winter due to insulated containers that enhance heat rather than depending on natural temperature. Despite the pros given, the methods are expensive as they require equipment purchase, maintenance and application knowledge.

Composting requires organic waste, but not all organic matter is good for your composts’ effective performance. For best compost results, decompose yard waste, fruits and vegetables, tea bags, eggshells and nutshells for instance. Prevent decomposing dairy products, meat or fish bones, fats and oils, infected plants and ash. These materials create odour, attract pest and chokes the composts’ porosity implicating the air ration, for example ash. Hence, decomposition prevails anaerobically resulting in undesirable outputs (odour and slurry). 

To keep a compost pile healthy, observe and balance of the oxygen, carbon and nitrogen ratio, temperature and moisture levels. Turning and watering the compost pile either once or twice a week helps to balance the temperature, oxygen ration and moisture levels. Covering a compost pile with soil or plastic after adding every layer of organic waste helps to retain heat and moisture. Consistency of these factors creates a conducive environment for microorganisms to facilitate decomposition. Also ensure the greens (nitrogen) and browns (carbon) materials are added adequately into the compost pile to maintain the carbon and nitrogen ratio. Prevent adding inorganic waste because it intoxicates microorganisms.  

Compost outputs are beneficial to our day to day lives as they offer valuable resources. Manure can be applied in our gardens and lawns to add nutritional value to plants and improve and restore soil fertility. Manure also improves soil water retention capacity, maximising water efficiency. Compost is environmentally friendly. It can substitute inorganic fertilizers which cause pollution.

Despite the eco-friendly properties of compost. Production and use of compost out of organic waste materials generated at home cuts down liabilities. Compost saves money against inorganic fertilizers which require funds to purchase. Most importantly, at the end of the material flow, composting reduces the amount of waste that is sent to landfills, therefore controlling climate change. Thus, the practice saves money, conserves the ecosystem and promotes a clean and healthy environment for all through effective waste management and sustainable development. Collective contributions close big gaps. It starts with you today.