I’m taking the No Impact Experiment for the first week of January. Here’s Day 1: Consumption.
I admit it. I don’t compost.
To be fair, I have looked into composting — a lot. Composting would be easy if I had a green bin — since L.A. and some L.A.-area cities now allow you to throw your food waste in those bins. Alas, apartment dwellers don’t get green bins. The trouble is, living in an apartment with a too-rodent-friendly balcony (squirrels mostly, but still) — which eventually nixed plans for a worm composter — then moving to a very tiny balcony-less apartment doesn’t make composting easy. At this point, my lilliputian residence simply doesn’t have room for a composter, even if I were willing to pay hundreds of dollars for one.
But despite my reasons (excuses?), my uncomposted life is really getting to me. For day 2 of the No Impact Challenge — dubbed “Trash: Discover how wasting less improves your life” — I hoarded my trash for the weekend (the challenge asked for a day’s collection, but I haven’t taken out the trash since 2010) — and took a photo of it. There it is above.
You’ll notice I threw out some expired coupons and outdated calendars, a few pieces of mail, and a bunch of crumpled up notes on which I planned out my New Year’s resolutions. You’ll notice I drank a lot of berry juice and ate tofu curry this week. And you’ll also notice I eat a lot of fruits and veggies — they make up almost all of my non-recyclable trash (save those non-recyclable jar and bottle lids).
If I could just find a way to compost, I would be able to bring down my non-recyclable trash to almost negligible levels. I mulled over this problem for a long time yesterday — and by mulled over, I mean I did some google research. I started by considering the eco-confession made quite a few of my friends who live in apartments without blue bins: They surreptitiously sneak their recyclables into their neighbors’ blue bins on trash days. So I wondered: Could I too adopt a clandestine composting habit via the green bins of my neighbors?
Unfortunately, West Hollywood, where I live, doesn’t allow food scraps in its green bins. However, Beverly Hills, where I run, does. I further figured out that in the neighborhood where I run, trash collection happens Thu. mornings — which means I can plan my compost drops for Wed. evenings.
I’ll report back on how Operation Compost goes later in the week. I also plan to ask the city for green bins that allow food waste — for both houses and apartments.
In the meantime, I’d love to hear your composting confessions. Do you compost — or not? If not, why not? (remember — I still am not composting myself, at least until Thursday) Do you think it’s okay to dump food scraps into other people’s green bins, or that it’s rude abuse of other people’s property?
Update, 1/10/11: My rogue composting plan’s now less rogue — since Beverly Hills resident Ellen Lutwak’s letting me share her composter.
Update, 1/10/11: Don’t miss the rest of the No Impact Experiment series! Here’s Day 1: Consumption, Day 2: Trash, Day 3: Transportation, Day 4: Food, Day 5: Energy, Day 6: Water and Day 7: Give back.
I tried worm-composting in a bin on my apartment balcony. Total disaster. Food scraps turned into a moldy mess and the worms probably died! I know I didn’t do it right, but after that fiasco I returned my foodscraps to the trash can and didn’t look back.
Comment by Ross Sirimbo — January 4, 2011 @ 3:59 pm
I hope the worm composter got a nice new home via Craigslist! :) What do you think of my green bin borrowing idea?
Comment by Siel — January 4, 2011 @ 4:04 pm
We have the luxury of garden space for a couple of bins. My husband went out to do the turning and processing this morning (oh, and I have a husband who is good with a shovel). We take in scraps from a few neighbors, and coffee grounds from Peets. You might find a neighbor who would gladly take your food bits, without having to tote them to Beverly Hills in your pack. Carry on with Operation Compost!
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Comment by Sally — January 4, 2011 @ 4:29 pm
I am right near the Bev Hills border, so I won’t have to tote that far — so long as Bev Hills residents aren’t lazy about putting out their green bins :) Nice of you to take scraps from your neighbors! Do you end up being able to use all of the compost you create in your garden?
Comment by Siel — January 4, 2011 @ 4:43 pm
I compost – covertly so not to alert my HOA in telling me I can’t have a compost bin. My compost bin is a plastic storage tub that I drilled a million holes into and placed on bricks next to my trash can. It’s working well. Since I got a bin with a locking lid, it’s easy to turn it over a few times in the yard to mix it.
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Comment by Condo Blues — January 4, 2011 @ 4:58 pm
I grew up in Seattle, and they require composting there now (and did the last year or so I lived there). Thus, I totally have an aversion to throwing out decent food. In the years since, I’ve only had one year where I had my own compost pile. Otherwise, I’ve had to find creative ways. I luckily worked at a place with a compost pile for awhile, so every week I brought in a tub o’stuff to add to it. I also live above a ravine, so sometimes I throw food scraps down there (but I kind of feel guilty, since that’s not the correct way to compost).
Since it’s winter, I’ve been saving up all my compost in bags to take to my old workplace someday while driving by. I just leave the bags on my “back porch” (it has a door and glass windows but no heating, so no rodents but plenty cold).
Since you don’t have too much compost, I think you’d be fine to just spread the love with your neighbors’ green bins. But if you can muster the courage, it might be worth it to put up a CL post or just ask a neighbor if you can use their bin. You might find a green-friendly soul who would love to share their composting goodness. Also, I’d look around and see if there are any community gardens in your area that accept compost from the general public.
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Comment by Leah — January 5, 2011 @ 10:01 am
I really want to compost but worm bins are out for me as well. I too have a really small NYC size apartment and wish the rodents we had to deal with were squirrels!
I toy with the idea of paying the $300 for the indoor, automatic composter, I just haven’t made the leap.
My only other option is to save the scraps and bring them down to the Union Square Farmers Market once a week. But if I miss a week, I’m afraid I’d have a smelly mess and I’m right back to having decomposing food for my little mice friends to sniff out.
Comment by Meredith Forbes — January 5, 2011 @ 11:50 am
I don’t compost for the same reasons (apartment, squirrel ridden balcony) and I feel terrible about it. My family always composted growing up, and my parents still do, so it was just a fact of life. I could save my food scraps and freeze them and then tote them down to my parent’s house in OC regularly. But so far I’ve been too lazy.
I think you’re okay to drop your compost bits into someone else’s green bin. Some people get weird about it because they pay for the pick up services or they feel uncomfortable with someone opening up their trash bins. I think Leah’s suggestion of a CL ad is worth trying – maybe someone will respond!
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Comment by Rachel (heart of light) — January 5, 2011 @ 1:02 pm
Condo Blues — Interesting — Does your HOA specifically discourage composting in its rules? Or is it more that you’re afraid the HOA may create rules against composting if you’re find out?
Comment by Siel — January 5, 2011 @ 2:52 pm
I have a large green waste compost bin in my veggie garden and keep a worm composting bin in my garage. I’ve had both for almost 3 years With the exception of two biological disasters that almost killed off my worms, I am so happy that I started the worm bin and they have continued to thrive. My kids know on Sunday afternoons they will find me tending to my garage “pets”. :-) The green waste bin is productive on a larger scale, but I don’t turn it as often as I should, etc. It still provides great compost for my garden and I’m always pleasantly surprised when I check for compost.
I wish I lived closer to you (I live in Santa Clarita) because my worms would LOVE your veggie & fruit scraps. :) I think it may be worth trying to find someone in your area, or a community garden, that would benefit from your scraps. Or, if you have neighbors that are already composting their food scraps in recycle/green bins, there shouldn’t be a problem in adding to it. Every little bit helps!
Comment by Denise — January 5, 2011 @ 3:56 pm
Siel – I keep my compostables in bio bags in a pot on my kitchen counter – that way the bio bag can go into the green bin with the scraps inside as a kindness to the nearby homeowners whose green bins you are ‘borrowing’.
Comment by Sherri Akers — January 7, 2011 @ 7:08 am
I put all my food scraps in a bucket in my freezer and then when it gets full I empty into someone else’s green bin in the alley!
Comment by Eco-Vegan Gal — January 10, 2011 @ 2:17 am