If I'm being honest, the idea of composting was introduced to me through the online game Runescape, where farming was a skill to be leveled up. By weeding flower beds, the resulting weeds could then be placed in a compost bin, which could then be taken and added back to the flower beds, resulting in faster yielding crops and more experience points.
Did I just use fond memories of a childhood game to introduce composting? Yes, I did. And with the weather getting warmer, and the temperature becoming more suitable for growing plants, fruits, and vegetables, I want to talk about how creating your own compost is not only great for your plants, but sustainable and better for the environment.
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For starters, what is compost? Simply put, compost is organic material that can be added to soil to help plants grow. Compost enriches soil, helps reduce waste, and is free of any synthetic chemicals that could damage the environment. Any type of organic material can be composted, so, as the title mentions, fruit and vegetable scraps are ideal for composting. But that's not all you can use! Rotten produce, lawn trimmings, coffee grounds, eggshells, tea leaves, etc. can all be used for composting. Check out this beginner's guide from Healthline for a complete list on what can be composted, as well as what cannot be composted.
Composting can be done in a bin or in a designated spot outside, and how to make your own bin can easily be found online. Whatever you do, don't throw away compostable items. I recommend keeping a separate waste bin for your compostable disposables, that way it can be easily dumped into a bin or dropped off at a local composting center. Personally, I like to throw my orange and banana (my main fruit intake) peels into the woods or farmland, but after writing this, I will be looking into getting my own bin.
Composting helps create a circular economy. Rather than your organic waste going to sit in a landfill, it's going towards the creation of new organic material and life. Even if you don't garden, you can always drop it off at a composting center, or at the very least dump it somewhere in your yard. The soil, grass, flowers, and insects would benefit from it and thank you dearly.
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