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I Got a Composter!

My freezer was slowly accumulating bits of compostable material that I could not give to pigs or to my chickens. But it was still organic material that did not need to go into the garbage. The end result for the compost scraps in the garbage would be the landfill, and my ultimate goal in zero waste is to prevent things from the house going to landfill. The freezer was getting full of my scraps, and I needed to get serious about composting if I am going to be a true zero waster.

Just a quick heads up, I am NOT an expert when it comes to composting. In fact, it is the one thing that I am still trying to research and figure out. But I knew it was better to start composting and figure it out along the way than to read forever until I know an exact scientific balance. At this point all I know is that if the composter gets too smelly or wet, add more browns (leaves, wood shavings, paper scraps, etc). If it is not composting at all or is dry, add more greens (food scraps, grass clippings, etc.) Just trying to keep it as simple as I can.

Someone on Facebook was selling their compost tumbler for $25, and I quickly jumped on it. I know that it is the end of fall/beginning of winter here in Connecticut, so nothing inside will create enough heat to compost in that tumbler until the spring. But at least it'll be better than filling up my freezer. Here is my bag full of frozen compost. lots of onion skins, garlic skins, lemons, vacuum cleaner dust and whatnot.


I'm a little excited to get this out of the freezer!


I also happened to have on hand some "green" matter, which was my son's homework (no colored inks on the paper), and a cardboard tube leftover. I shredded them up into little bits so hopefully they will compost better. 


Now I'm ready to head outside to the compost bin! My husband put it in our barn because he wanted to keep something like this out of sight from the neighbors. His own words are that it is disgusting to see it. It's only disgusting if it smells, my urban-bred-hubby! If it gets disgusting we just need to add more browns! Here is my awesome $25 composter!!! So excited!


So I added my greens, but need some browns as well. At first I was going to add some of our leftover leaves from the fall season. But then I had a much better idea!


I am a chicken owner, and have a sweet little flock. Twice a year I shovel out their wood shavings and poop litter, and throw in some new wood bedding for them. I've been keeping the used litter in bags to throw into my box garden whenever I got around to it. But at this point I have so much used litter, I could spare a bit for the composter! Thank you, ladies!! (and my one rooster, Mr. Peepers!)


I gave my tumbler a good turn to mix everything together. Now I just have to wait til spring, when the weather gets warmer and I can actually see the compost bin get warm and begin to compost. You need warmth in order for it to start working. Yippee!!! No more bags of food scraps in my fridge!!

Do you have any composting experience or advice to give a novice like myself?

Cheers!
Laura

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