I eat mostly meat and vegetables. And one day last year I realized my household produces a very large amount of waste that should be going back into the earth but ends up in the landfill. I wanted to do something about this. But what?
Typically, someone would say, just compost. But I don’t even know what that really entails. Type in “what is the best method for composting?” and you’ll get some interesting suggestions.
Apparently, the simplest way to compost is called a ‘heap’. And it’s what it sounds like. You select a small area of your garden or yard and just pile up compostable materials into a heap there. You then just let the material decompose over a long period of time. A similar, but less space requiring solution is called Trenching. You did a trench or a pit and fill that with your compostable waste.
Yeah. That ain’t going to work where I live. The challenge is that I live in a townhouse in a major metropolitan city. I don’t have a garden in my backyard, nor an area I can dig a trench and leave it full of rotting debris!
That said, as with everything, I’m sure I’m not the first person to deal with this issue. So, I started doing some research into what options I have.
Option 1: Build a composting section in my back yard
The challenge here is that I don’t have the space. Also, after looking into it, I would have to manage that process. If you live on a farm with 2 acres of land and no neighbors, you can just pile the stuff up somewhere. I don’t.
Also, I really don’t want to be messing around with leaves, and figuring out how much of this and that to put in my bin. I don’t even want a bin. I want to get RID of my waste, not have it hanging around. I don’t garden. I would much rather spend that time with a pack on my back or on a bike than messing around with don’t the work to make my food scraps into dirt.
So, while there are several options available for those interested in the process of turning food into dirt, none of them are interesting to me.
- Green Cone
- Heap
- Sheet Mulch
- Trench/Pit
- Some kind of Bin (concrete, wire, cedar)
- Tumbler
These are all great options if you want to get into ‘making’ compost. I don’t. So, it’s on to option number two.
Option 2: Buy a composting machine
While researching composting, the eavesdropping social media apps spied on my search history and sent me an ad for a Lomi composter. I immediately clicked the link and started looking into it.
What is a Lomi Composter? Apparently, it’s a magic device that you put your food scraps into, hit a button, go to sleep, and wake up to dirt. Seriously, they say it is that simple. Sounds amazing. And perfect for what I want. But then I looked a little deeper.
Pros: First, it seems easy to use. Right up my alley. Second, it works very fast. Apparently, you create dirt overnight. That’s one day! I love it. Sounds perfect. Why doesn’t every household have one of these magic boxes?
Cons: First, it makes noise. It really is a machine, and like most machines, it makes noise. Apparently, it’s not a little noise either, at least when some of the harder stuff gets stuck in a certain spot. I already live close to a train. In a city. I’m trying to reduce my noise pollution levels, not add to them! Second, it uses electricity. The whole purpose of this project is to be ‘greener’. Using electricity to simply speed up a process that will happen naturally anyway seems to completely miss the point. Third, there is a cost. The thing is kind of expensive. It costs $500. To make dirt from food waste?
These three things, by themselves, aren’t actually deal breakers. But then there is number four to think about. The ongoing cost. Yes, like most of these new products today, we are being pushed into subscribing to things. So, we don’t just spend money once for the item. We now have an ongoing, regularly scheduled cost. Keeps the shareholders happy. Apparently, this thing uses some kid of filter, that needs to be replaced, every three months, for fifty dollars a clip.
I can deal with the using electricity and the noise. I could even deal with the one-time cost, since I’m doing something good for the planet. Having to spend 50 bucks every three months for a filter is simply a bridge too far for me, and what made this product a firm NO for me. Sounded good, but as with everything else in the world, there’s always pros and cons.
So, I started looking at if there was a place where I could simply drop off my stuff. I know my city doesn’t take it. What will searching ‘composting in Jersey City’ return in my trusty search engine? Lo and behold, there are a few places where I can simply drop off my composting!
Note** In reality, this is the thing I found first in my search. But telling the story in this order is better dramatically. This way, I can talk about the other options available to people first, and then end with my choice. I’ve taken some liberties with my story that I think any good director would agree with! So – drumroll…. Here’s what I chose!
Option 3: Bring my compostable waste to a collection center
After doing my search, I was surprised to find that Jersey City had already started and composting project. And right there, the first result was “Composting Drop Off Locations”. To my great surprise, as of this date, there are 12 places I can drop off my compostable materials. I really cannot believe there are that many in this city. I’m actually impressed.
To my even greater surprise, there is a community garden that has a compost drop off box six blocks from my house. You could even argue it’s only 5 blocks! A twelve-minute walk according to Google Maps. A half mile away. In other words, there is no excuse to allow my eggshells and fruit peels to rot in a landfill, when they could be put back into someone’s garden to make their tomatoes tastier.
SUMMARY
I know. I’m lazy. I am a city boy, with no interest in growing vegetables. Therefore, I’ve picked the composting solution that makes the most sense for me and my specific living situation, time constraints and interests. Even still, simply being able to divert a good portion of my garbage to a better, more sustainable use, makes me feel like a better citizen. Which was really the whole point.
Now I just need to make sure I know exactly what I can and can’t drop off in the bin.
Photo by Camila Jacques on Unsplash
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