Reducing food waste by composting

There is a lot of information out there on food wastage and how to avoid it in the first place. Save your vegetable peels for stock! Eat your broccoli stems! Turn your lemon rinds into candied peel! That's all very well and good, and those ideas definitely have their place - especially in a homesteading environment. Currently, in the modern world where time is arguably the most valuable commodity, not everyone has the luxury to be able to do this. Accessibility is a presently relevant issue, and a conversation point not only relating to how we communicate and are mindful of others, but how can we make services and being eco-friendly more attainable.

Reducing Your Carbon Footprint

So, what DO we do with our food waste? Those wishing to reduce their carbon footprint will be met with the moral quandary; How can I build an efficient solution into my daily life for minimum effort, with maximum effect? My solution for you is composting. Whether you are working full-time, part-time, a homemaker, retired, or living a slower life, no matter your situation, there is a form of composting suitable for everyone and all spaces. It’s an extremely approachable way of dealing with food waste, avoiding additional greenhouse gases being produced in landfill, and turning waste products into nutrients to put back into the earth in multiple mediums.

Back to Traditions

I grew up in a situation where every family member’s home had a traditional compost bin of some form. My grandparents had boxes made of wood in an out-of-the-way space, and my father's hardy plastic towers (fondly known as garden Daleks) dotted all throughout his garden. This is my preferred method as it’s what I know best and probably one of the easiest places to start. You can build your own boxing with reclaimed pallets, hardy H4 timber, or simply go to your local hardware store and purchase one. If you are going hard plastic, I highly recommend getting the variant with hatches at the base so you can pull compost from the bottom as you need it without needing to undo the whole bin. I also recommend getting one with a lid. The main advantage I find to this type of bin is the wide range of what you can actually compost in it.

There are fancy compost conditioners you can buy to assist in adding beneficial ingredients to the compost and help speed up the breaking down of the organic matter, but if you are just starting out it isn’t really very necessary. It does help keep your compost balanced and sweet smelling, however. It is however a labour of love and depending on the waste you produce - can take up to a year for an entire compost bin to be full and ready to use. Note: May attract mice. A cat proficient in mousing, or a nosey dog is recommended for this option.

A similar method to the above is "trenching". This basically consists of finding an empty patch in your garden, digging a trench with the removed soil placed next to it, and slowly filling the trench with your scraps, covering up the waste as you go. This is a slow method, and you do need to ensure your food waste is chopped up as small as possible so that it breaks down faster, and give the waste a chance to break down before tuning and using the area of the garden. This composting style however does nicely compliment a "chop & drop" style approach to composting where disease/pest-free leafy stems or plants such as peas are chopped up and dropped then gently dug into the top layer of soil or used as a mulch.

The Bokashi Solution

The above-mentioned methods are all great if you have the space. But what if you live in an apartment on the 4th floor or are in a modern home with limited (if any) outdoor space? Bokashi may be just the solution for you! I like to think of bokashi as designer compost. It’s a little more high maintenance, you need to purchase additives to make it work, but great for small spaces. Developed by the Japanese for their small efficient suburban homes, it roughly translates to "fermented organic matter" and is a method of composting that will even break down meat and cheeses. It is one of the more "alive" types of systems, as you literally add effective organisms to not only break it down quickly but ferment well to avoid a foul-smelling odor in your house. You can have compost in a matter of weeks!

What about a Worm Farm?

A method most people have heard of is the humble worm farm. I say humble, but worm farms are well, the most alive a composting system can really be. It is definitely not a method for those who are squeamish, but it is a superb idea for those with children. Add a whole "farm" of pet Tiger worms to your backyard to generate not only worm castings for the garden but a nutrient-rich liquid Leachate (commonly known as worm wee/worm tea) which is highly sought after by gardeners as a natural organic fertilizer. Worm farms are however more limited with what you can put into them to be composted. Due to this constraint, I would recommend using it alongside a green bin (council-provided or private).

For those of you who are a little more squeamish, but like the idea of a worm farm (relateable trust me) there is another option! An in-ground worm tower. This is basically an enclosed plastic tube with a lid that is embedded into the soil with holes in the sides for worms to travel in and out of. You pop your organic waste in the top and pop the lid on and let the worms do the rest. As little interaction as possible with the worms is achieved. Its shape makes it a great idea for raised garden beds or those with small spaces in particular.

Something I have seen gaining popularity since covid however is keeping livestock such as chickens to assist with food waste disposal... because it’s not really going to waste. Livestock can also produce fertilizer through their own waste product and more food such as eggs. Then again, that is not the most accessible method, and more suited to food scraps situations, but if you have the space and commitment something that could work for you alongside any of the other methods introduced above.

Food Scrap Bins

If you live in Auckland, you would have recently received your home food scrap bins. This is a collection service much like recycling or landfill bins, with the price captured by those purchasing compostable bin liners instead of tags. This has made composting accessible for everyone in the region and is an achievement not to be sniffed at. In reverse - places processing the food waste provide the compost back to the community for free. In South and East Auckland, this is available through the Beautification Trust.

No matter how you choose to compost, time and time again it proves an effective way to reduce your carbon footprint and deal with those seemingly unavoidable food scraps and two-fold gives you something back to nourish plants, who will in turn give you more food.

It’s a beautiful little cycle, with a large impact. While it is estimated that over 50% of Kiwis grow some kind of fruit, vegetable or herb in their backyard, you will always be able to find someone to pass these products on to - or you may just find inspiration to start growing your own too.

We hope you enjoyed this guide to composting blog post by Ellen and found it helpful. Be sure to sign up to our mailing list to learn more about sustainable living.

Love Annie @ethicallyso

xxx