How to Compost and What to Use It for

About Laura Gooch

kitchen scraps in dirt being scooped by a blue shovel

Did you know that 30%-40% of the United States food supply is never eaten? If you’re looking for some ways to reduce your food waste, composting is a good place to start. Whether you live in a suburban home or a studio apartment, composting is still possible. Keep reading to learn how to get started.

What Is Composting?

Composting is the process of recycling organic materials such as fruit and vegetable peels and leaves into a nutrient-rich soil amendment called compost. While composting is the process, compost is the product: a biologically stable material created by the decomposition of organic waste. Soil amendments, such as compost, include any material added to soil to improve its composition and fertility.

How to Compost

The most common type of composting is open-air composting. Open-air composting, also referred to as hot composting, is exactly as it sounds: organic materials are placed in a compost pile or bin outdoors where they naturally decompose over time. This method works well for people with a backyard or garden space and requires occasionally turning the pile to maintain proper temperature and allow oxygen to circulate.

The four main ingredients to make a great compost pile are carbon-rich materials (often referred to as “browns”), nitrogen-rich materials (often referred to as “greens”), water and oxygen. Once you know this, it's time to identify what materials you can and cannot compost.

Items that are generally okay to compost:

Fruit and vegetable scraps
Coffee grounds and paper filters
Tea leaves and paper tea bags (staples removed)
Crushed eggshells
Tissues, paper towels and napkins
Paper including newspapers and non-glossy paper (staples removed)
Cardboard (tape and staples removed)
Corks
Grass clippings and plant trimmings
Dry leaves
Plant stalks and twigs
Hay
Untreated wood chips and sawdust

Some items you cannot compost:

Meat and fish
Bones
Dairy
Oils and butter
Cooked foods
Pet waste
Styrofoam
Treated/painted wood and ash
Glossy/plastic-coated paper
Plastic- or plastic-coated items

With all of your materials gathered, you can begin building your compost pile. The size of your pile can vary depending on the space you have available and how much effort you want to put into maintaining it. Start with a layer of carbon-rich, coarse brown materials such as dry leaves, straw or small twigs placed directly on the soil to help improve airflow. Next comes a layer of nitrogen-rich green materials like fruit and vegetable scraps and grass clippings. Try to cover all food scraps with a generous layer of brown materials to filter any odors and prevent pests.

Continue layering greens and browns onto your pile. As the pile grows to a size you feel comfortable maintaining, make sure it stays slightly moist and turn it occasionally to introduce oxygen and aid decomposition. Smaller piles can often be turned by hand or with a small garden tool, while larger piles may require a shovel or pitchfork. Over time, the greens and browns will break down and become black and earthy smelling—that’s how you’ll know it's ready for your garden.

Other Composting Methods

1. Direct composting

Direct composting, also known as in-ground composting, is where organic materials are buried directly in the soil, where they will decompose and enrich the surrounding soil. This method is simple and only requires digging a hole or trench to bury your food scraps. This is a great option for beginners because it requires very little maintenance. Some drawbacks to direct composting are that materials may take longer to break down than with other methods, and you have less control over environmental factors such as temperature and moisture levels.

2. Vermicomposting

Another composting method that’s especially great for apartment dwellers is vermicomposting or worm farm composting. Worm composting is a good choice because it doesn’t take up much space, the materials are simple and you can keep the worm bin indoors or outdoors, but only as long as it maintains a specific temperature inside the bin. Best of all, if you properly care for your worm bin, it shouldn’t smell or attract pests.

To get started vermicomposting, you need to make or purchase a bin. Fill about half of the bin with moist bedding for your worms. Bedding materials may include shredded cardboard, non-glossy newspaper, straw or hay, leaves, wood chips and finished compost. Now it’s time to bring in the worms. A good number to start with is around 1,000 or about 1 pound of Red Wigglers—you can always add more later on. Once the worms acclimate to their new space, you can begin slowly adding food scraps. Allow them to eat and monitor their progress to see what changes need to be made, if any.

3. Bokashi

Bokashi is an anaerobic (oxygen-free) fermentation process that uses bokashi bran, a mixture of bacteria and yeast, to break down food scraps through fermentation rather than traditional composting. Unlike traditional composting methods, which can be slow and labor-intensive, bokashi is a faster, low-maintenance process that makes it especially convenient for small-space living. Another way bokashi differs from traditional composting methods is the types of materials you can compost. While many items are the same, you can also add meat, bones, dairy and cooked foods to your bokashi bin.

Like vermicomposting, bokashi starts with a bin, which you can purchase or make yourself, as well as some bokashi bran. Add your bran and food scraps to the container, then press the mixture down to compact it, removing excess air before closing the lid. Each time you add more food scraps, layer additional bran on top. As the food ferments, it releases a nutrient-rich liquid known as bokashi tea, which should be drained from the bin every two to three days to prevent odors. Bokashi tea can be poured down the drain to help prevent blockages, or diluted with water and used as a fertilizer.

Once the bin is full, wait about two weeks for the contents to ferment. Due to its high acidity, bokashi material shouldn’t be added directly to plants. Instead, bury it 8 to 12 inches deep in the soil away from existing plants to prepare the soil for planting one to two weeks later.

What to Use Compost for

The beauty of compost is that it has a wide variety of uses. Compost is commonly used as organic fertilizer. Not only does it improve the soil’s ability to hold nutrients, it also provides necessary nutrients to plants, including nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Another way to use compost is as a soil conditioner, which is a type of soil amendment used to improve soil structure and reduce water erosion. Your houseplants deserve some love too—mix compost into potting soil to help indoor plants grow stronger and healthier.

Notably, compost can also be used to help suppress weeds and control pests, allowing your landscape or garden to thrive. If you’re looking for ways to keep your lawn looking lush, topdressing with compost might be the way to go. By adding a thin layer of compost to your grass, the soil beneath stays nutrient-rich and retains water better. Compost also acts as a great alternative to traditional mulch, acting as a protective barrier, retaining moisture and providing much-needed nutrients for plants.

Composting can be a simple way to reduce household food waste while creating a valuable resource for your houseplants, garden or landscape. Whether you’re choosing a tried-and-true method like open-air composting or something a little different like bokashi, turning organic scraps into compost helps support healthier soil and more sustainable living. With a little patience and the right balance of materials, what was once waste headed for the landfill can be transformed into something that helps your plants and the environment thrive.