The 3 Biggest Composting Myths:- Busted

Want to Compost But Worried It’s Not easy? Not Enough Space? Read On and Find Out!

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This is a Guest Post from TinyFootMovement.com

 

Composting is great! But let’s talk first about some of the most common composting myths – and bust them wide open!

Of course you can collect all your uneaten food scraps and dump them into a compost bin.

But contrary to what many people think, even though anywhere from 30 to 40% of our food goes uneaten, it’s not the household product that gets composted the most. (Yard trimmings is!)

You might have heard a friend or a wise aunt swear by adding earthworms to compost to speed up the process. Maybe you’ve read somewhere that you need high temperatures for composting……

In this post, we’ll debunk three common composting myths—and offer a few tips on composting more effectively.

Myth #1. It Needs to Be Hot

“The composting process requires heat to “cook” the organic material, so I should place my composting bin so that it gets as much direct sunlight as possible”.

sun natural solar powerNot true! But why? It makes logical sense, right?

Well, actually, even though it’s true that colder temperatures can slow down the composting process (which is why you’ll see that many compost bins and tumblers are black), too much heat will actually undo all your valuable work because it can kill the precious microbes that are breaking down your food scraps and yard trimmings.

Not only that, but too high of a temperature—and this is especially true if you live in a hot climate that gets intense sunlight, like Arizona—will dry out your compost, which also isn’t good for the process. (If you want to check your compost, as a rule of thumb, it should have the texture of a moist sponge, and you should be able to squeeze a bit of liquid out of it.)

Generally, partial sunlight (and regular rotations if you’re using a compost tumbler) is the way to go.


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Myth #2. I need lots of space to compost

reduce paper waste by compostingNope! While there are definitely some very large compost tumblers (usually for very large households), there are actually compost bins and tumblers that are apartment-sized and that’ll fit fine on a balcony or patio!

Myth #3. I Need to add “Starters” or Earthworms

“Compost won’t start by itself, it needs some kind of compost accelerator to get the process started. Earthworms help, right?”

Again, not true! While it’s nice and it can help kickstart that process of breaking down the material, it’s not a requirement.

Earthworms are a no-no as well, especially if you’re using a sealed composting bin because when it heats up in there and they can’t escape, they’ll die.

Time is really the only essential ingredient. Given enough time (a few weeks to a few months, depending on the conditions where you live) the compost will do its work perfectly fine, without any extra help.

There’s No “Right Way”!

And there you have it, three of the most common myths about composting, debunked. That being said, the beauty of composting is that there’s no one “right” way to do it.

Feel free to experiment, but our best tip is to do a bit of research before you try out a new composting idea—chances are, there have been studies on it!

Do you know anyone who believes these myths about composting? Let me know in the Comments below!

Author bio:  Grace is a content writer and sustainability enthusiast who shares tips and the latest information on actionable ways to reduce our carbon footprints at www.tinyfootmovement.com

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Start making a difference today – download your FREE report on the 3 big things that you can do to help slow climate change. (Spoiler alert:- recycling is great, but it won’t make a big difference).

 

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Warm regards,

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climate change, compost, composting, composting food scraps, composting myths, composting myths debunked, composting yard trimmings, global warming, home composting


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