Looking for easy ways to compost kitchen scraps for a home garden or use in landscaping? Here's some easy countertop composting solutions to reduce waste and make your garden grow.
Milk Carton Composters
An old favorite, many adults have memories from their childhood days of their grandmothers using the milk carton method. Half gallon paper milk cartons, not plastic, are needed for this method. When finished with the milk, simply open up all the top flaps until the carton is fully exposed. Wash it out and put it on the counter. Add compost materials as they are produced and each time, close back up the carton top and squish it down a bit. At the end, the entire carton and contents can be thrown into the compost bin.
This method is complicated a little bit by the plastic pouring spouts that are used in the side of milk cartons today, which are not compostable. If the milk carton is this type, take a moment to tear off the section containing the spout before heading out to the garden compost bin.
Because the milk carton is not completely sealed, this method may attract little fruit flies to the kitchen. For families that produce enough compostable waste to fill the carton each day (and drink enough milk to have a fresh carton), so that the compost doesn't sit around, this might be fine. Those who produce compost slower, or don't drink milk, might want to consider a compost crock.
Countertop Compost Crocks
With the rise in popularity of green living, countertop composting crocks are available in numerous colors and styles. Most are ceramic (like the white one pictured above) or stainless steel. Prices range from around $20 at discount outlets like Ross, when lucky enough to stumble onto one, to around $40 or $50 bought new through green retailers or Amazon.com.
Compost crocks are easy to use, easy to clean, and most come with a carbon insert in the lid to eliminate food waste smells. Carbon replacements can be bought through most of the same retailers who sell the crocks. However, carbon inserts can be rinsed out gently and used for quite a long time. Additionally, for a less expensive alternative to purchasing carbons specifically made for crocks, purchase long strips of carbon prefilters in the section with air purifiers at any big box/general merchandise department store like Target or WalMart. The strips can then be cut, using the original carbon as a pattern, for a significant savings.
Diaper Pail Compost Crocks
Since the theme of composting is recycling and renewal, try giving new life to a diaper pail by turning it into a compost crock. Most diaper pails won't fit on the counter, but can occupy a space in the corner of the kitchen or just outside a kitchen door. Diaper pails, especially modern ones, are designed specifically to contain odors, and most of them are easy to empty. Using carbon prefilters as described in the section above, it's also possible to add odor-containing power by strategically placing cut carbons in appropriate places in the pail.
There's no need to go out and buy a diaper pail for this purpose. Families with recently potty-trained toddlers are eager to get rid of them, and offers and responses abound on local Freecycle groups.
Countertop composting is an easy task with the right container. From budget to repurposed to ready-to-go, there is a solution for every family that can help reduce waste and contribute nutrients back to the Earth.
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