“Everyone creates organic waste in their kitchen or from their yard, and funneling that waste to a landfill releases methane gas, carbon dioxide, and pollutes waterways,” explains Nate Salpeter, cofounder of Sweet Farm in Half Moon Bay, Calif. “Composting creates a renewable cycle with endless benefits for gardens, agriculture, and our entire food system.” Many neighborhoods across the nation offer composting bins where you can drop off your organic materials without having to do more than that. (For example, in New York City, the organization GROW NYC wants your scraps!). But if you’re interested in doing your own composting, there are tons of affordable and approachable DIY versions to purchase online. “Most counties have an Office of Sustainability and likely offer a hotline to call for questions and troubleshooting,” Salpeter adds. The composting process can be a little frustrating to get it right, though, especially if you’re new to it. Even good intent, certain mistakes can actually reverse your efforts. The good news is these can easily be remedied, eventually taking your compost from fruitless to flourishing. We spoke to agriculture specialists and farmers across the country, in both rural and metropolitan locations, to discuss common composting mistakes they see and how to right them—avoid them as best you can and your compost will be even more effective! Even though it can be difficult, try to compost only organic produce. Fortunately, certified-organic, pesticide-free produce is often well-labeled and easy to find. But if you can only find one, look for “pesticide-free” signage even more so than “organic” labels. As long as the produce is free of chemicals, it’s clear for composting. RELATED: How to Reduce Food Waste in Your Home, According to One of the World’s Top Experts “A big mistake is adding materials that won’t break down in your compost. Exclude meat, shells [eggshells are OK], bones, anything with chemical treatments, pet waste, and oils,” confirms Leslie Bish, gardener and herbalist at Glen Falls House in Round Top, NY. It’s important to note, fish cannot be composted either. “The basic principles when creating your own compost is a balance between ‘green material’ and ‘brown material,’” she explains. Bish says the general rule when composting is to have a two-to-one ratio of brown to green materials. “Green materials include organic matter that is still hydrated, such as grass clippings, food scraps, and weeds. The brown material includes dried organic matter, such as cardboard, cut leaves, paper bags, nut shells, eggs shells, and straw.” People who compost tend to have more green remains than brown, but the compost actually needs more browns than greens. You might need to have two compost systems so that your extra green materials don’t rot while they wait for the main compost to complete. Follow the rules for the kind of compost you’re creating. If it’s an outdoor, wet compost, don’t add worms because they’ll come on their own. If it’s an indoor compost system, heed the instructions on the ready-made bin—but avoid bringing in outside worms, if possible. If you’re making the effort to compost, take extra care that scraps (fruit and veggie peels, paper bags) are free of labels, twist ties, rubber bands, and other synthetic, non-biodegradable parts. Plastic, rubber, and metal do not belong. RELATED: 10 Smart Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint in the Kitchen
