Guide on How to Compost in an Apartment

Being an environmentally-home owner is not an arduous task as you think. You can easily change small things in order to minimize your energy consumption, recycle your trash, plastic bottles, glasses, and you can compost. Composting is not just an outdoor activity these days. Any city dweller who is residing in an apartment or a condominium can go for composting. So, basically, composting is quite doable for urban homeowners who are living in flats in Calicut or luxury apartments in Calicut. If you are buying property in Kerala, you just need to know how to compost in an apartment. There are some questions to ask a builder before buying flats or apartments.

In this article, we are going to describe how to compost in an apartment. But before entering the topic, let’s take a look at some astounding benefits of composting.

1. Lessens landfill waste: As per EPA estimation, one-fourth of the landfill waste can be composted. So, composting not only removes content from landfills but also utilizes those contents wisely.
2. Improves the quality of soil: Composting enhances soil quality by adding organic materials and micronutrients.
3. Reduces greenhouse gas emission: Methane is a pivotal greenhouse gas which is present in the landfills. If you can compost the organic part of your waste, you can drastically reduce this greenhouse gas emission.
4. Averts green pests: the micronutrient in compost may have a pesticide-like property and thus, it is very dangerous for garden green pests.
5. Maintains the soil balance: If you want to maintain the balance of the soil, then, you must add compost to the soil.
6. Increases biodiversity: Composting attracts many species like birds, fungi, insects, and worms by encouraging the crop growing process.
7. Cost-effective: There are many easy ways by which you can do composting by yourself. So, this is indubitably, a cost-effective process.

Now, you have adequate information regarding the benefits of composting. Water also has a role in the composting process to get moisture. Here are some tips to save water in apartments. Let’s check out some of the ways by which you can do composting in an apartment.

1. Worm Composters:

Worm composters or vermicomposters are one of the easiest and versatile options that are widely used by the city dwellers. These small, portable, and fast composters efficiently and quickly process household waste and produce nutrient-rich ‘worm tea’ which you can apply to your houseplants and planter boxes. It is true that organic wastes can’t decompose easily without mixing. Since the worms do the turning for you, hence you need to feed them regularly and keep them at normal temperature so that they can proliferate and grow properly. So, worms are your perfect indoor pets which will eat all your food scraps. But don’t add dairy product, meat, and citrus peel to the bin. You may find many online tutorials which will teach you how to make your own compost bin or you can purchase a worm bin from the market.

2. Compost Tumblers: 

If you have a great-sized balcony or you get the permission to use the common passage or rooftop area of your apartment building, then you will be blessed with another composting option and that is compost tumblers. Compost tumblers are larger than worm composters. These tumblers are fully sealed so that they can preserve the heat generated by your compost and can enhance the speed of decomposition. These tumblers usually come with a handle so that you can mix the contents easily and uniformly. Some tumblers are so quick that they can process your entire household waste within 13 days. Since these tumblers are sealed, hence, rats, raccoons, mice, and other creatures can’t get inside it. That’s why these tumblers are suitable for urban apartment owners. Moreover, there is no smell because of their sealed design. So, these tumblers are tidy and attractive and are suitable for communal areas also.

3. Bokashi:

Composting can be a little bit of a tricky job for those who are living in a tiny apartment. Because they don’t have adequate space to buy a composter bin for composting. Hence, a bokashi bucket could be an ideal choice for them. It is a giant bucket where you can add all your compost items including dairy and meat. Once you mash it all down and then, just add in an activator mix. This mix is full of microbes which will uplift the process of decomposition. The entire composting process takes nearly 4 weeks. You can compost a chunk of food items through bokashi.

Food items that can be composed

• Cheese, eggshells, oils, even butter
• All fruits and vegetable (including seeds, pits, rinds, stems, leaves, and flowers)
• Nuts, pasta, bread, pizza crusts, popcorn, etc. (any type of carbohydrate foods)
• Animal & fish bones or skin
• Paper products
• All types of liquids
• Meat, fish and dairy items

Food items that you can’t compost

•  Inedible items like plastics and foils (except for paper).
• Compostable bags, utensils, etc. because they require high heat to break down or decompose.

There is also no odour or bugs with bokashi and that’s why this type of composter is ideal if you want to make compost in an apartment effortlessly.

4. Trench Method:

This is another composting method by which you can decompose all your household wastes. Trench composting is a method where you need to dig a hole in the ground and then, bury all your compost. This is an easy, effective, and inexpensive method. But the only problem is you need to find a place or a yard near your apartment building where you can dig and bury your wastes.

5. Countertop Composting:

If you have limited food scraps, then countertop composting is the best way for you. For this type of composting, you just need a bin and then, start piling in your scraps. But for this, you need to find a place that will collect your scraps and convert them into full-fledged compost. You should check with some community gardens or your local farmers market which will collect your scraps.

6. Freezer Composting:

This has many resemblances with countertop composting. Freezer composting is an ideal option which will cut down on your food waste. The key benefit of using freezer composting is that you don’t need to worry about bugs or smells. Moreover, you can keep it in anything.

7. Blender Composting:

Are you living in  apartments in Calicut and want to use your food scraps instead of throwing them to a community garden for composting? Then, this could be an ideal option for you. By using your blender, you can break down your food scraps (don’t use anything which is too tough for your blender to tackle) into a slurry which will decompose in a much faster way.

8. Private Collection Service:

These days, many residential complexes offer private waste collection services so that every dweller can lead a life in a healthy and robust environment. If your apartment complex also provides this kind of service, then, nothing can be better than that. You just need to purchase a plastic container or a ceramic container and then, dump all your waste items inside it.

Is a private compost collection service right for you?

• This is one of the most effective ways for compost collection as it is trouble-free and convenient.
• You are also supporting the good work and initiatives of your local municipalities.
• But in some cities, you need to pay a chunk of money for this kind of service throughout the year. So, this may be costlier than composting your own.

9. Electric-Assist Composters:

Electric-assist composters are another type of composters that you can use to treat your household wastes. These composters have many resemblances with coffee-maker style appliances. They basically grind and heat your organic refuse into dark and loamy soil. But people often face a dilemma regarding whether this type of composter is a trouble-free or not.

10. Automatic Composed Bins:

Automatic compost bins can easily be kept indoors. These types of composters are a great investment for the dwellers who want to make compost in their own apartment and also want to keep everything inside. There are various types of designs are available in the market. You can even keep some bins inside kitchen cabinets. These composters are ideal for busy households.

11. Solar-Powered Composters:

You can keep these types of composters on your balcony or a place where they will get the maximum heat of the sun. Because the maximum heat of the sun will encourage the compose process to move in a faster way.

12. Get Online:

Nowadays, the internet is jam-packed with all types of information. So, you can find someone in your locality who has chickens, or a composter, or a large garden. Many grocery stores often collect compost outside their shops. It would be great if you can find anyone near your area. When it comes to composting, try to find out some like-minded individuals or groups with whom you can work with. You can also set up indoor gardens for apartments. And eggshell, green tea, etc as the natural fertilizers for some indoor plants.

Hope this article gave you ample information regarding how to compost in an apartment. No matter, what types of composters you handpick for composting, it would be a prudent decision for you if you go through the guidelines properly before entering scraps inside your composters. It would be an imperative job for you to maintain the balance between high-nitrogen vegetable and fruit scraps with carbon inputs. Because this will not only accelerate the speed decomposition but also prevents unpleasant odours.

PVS Builders & Developers is one of the most renowned builders of Calicut and provides some of the most efficient apartments in Calicut, Kannur, and Aluva. If you are looking for flats in Calicut with some of the best features and high-quality amenities then contact us today or visit our website for more information on our latest apartments in Calicut.