How To Compost: Uses & Benefits
Composting biodegradable organic materials is an excellent way to reduce household waste that would otherwise be sent to the landfill. Learn more about what composting is and how to compost below.
What Is a Home Compost?
Compost is a mixture of decomposing organic materials used to create, fertilize, and enrich soil. Composter recipes commonly involve storing plant and food trash in a DIY compost bin or pile. By adding compost to soil, you can infuse it with nutrients to help make your gardening efforts more fruitful, while also helping to reduce methane emissions from landfills.
Facts About Composting
- Compost is decomposed organic materials that can enrich soil used for gardening, thereby reducing the need for chemical fertilizers (and helping reduce your volume of household trash).
- When organic materials, like vegetable scraps, plant-based materials, and yard waste, decompose under the right conditions, it encourages the production of “good” bacteria and fungi, which transform plant-based trash into a rich, nutrient-filled material called humus.
- By using a DIY compost pile or bin (or a community compost, where available), you can help keep organic waste out of landfills, which helps reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions organic wastes emit.
What Does “Compostable” Mean?
“Compostable” is a term used to describe the process by which organic items break down over time when stored in a properly maintained compost bin.
What Are the Benefits of Home Composting?
Composting can help you reduce the volume of household waste by recycling certain foods, plant-based household products, and other organic waste, such as yard waste, while providing rich soil for your gardening efforts. Another benefit of compost is that it reduces the amount of greenhouse gases that enter the atmosphere from household organic waste sent to landfills.
What Is the Difference Between Home Compost and Community Compost?
Home compost means that you have a place at home, likely a DIY compost bin, where you can place your organic waste for composting. Typically, home compost is used for gardening purposes.
Community composting involves a collecting organization that will take your organic waste from your home compost bin to a place where a large compost pile will be assembled and used afterwards to regenerate and fertilize soils. Consult with your local composting or recycling organization to see which organic materials they accept in their community curbside or drop-off composting programs. A list of common composting items can be found here.
How To Start a Compost Pile at Home
Using a compost bin or pile at home is a great way to decrease the volume of household trash sent to the landfill, while creating nutrient-rich soil for gardening. Plus, starting your own compost pile at home is simple. If you have a backyard, find a dry, shady spot close to a natural water source to create your compost pile. Or, simply use a plastic or glass container with a tight-fitting lid.
You’ll need three main basic ingredients to make your compost—think of them as greens, browns, and water. Greens include certain types of food trash, such as fruits and vegetables, as well as grass clippings. (Food trash and gardening waste account for more than 28 percent of what we throw away.) Browns can be old coffee grounds, twigs, or dead leaves. Try to maintain equal parts of browns and greens, and create layers of material in different sizes. Just add a little water every time you add to your compost bin or pile—the moisture will promote decomposition.
For the ins and outs of making your own compost, visit the EPA’s site on the topic.
What Are CeraVe Hydrating Makeup Removing Plant-Based Wipes Made Out Of?
The cloth used in CeraVe’s Hydrating Makeup Removing Plant-Based Wipes is made out of 100% plant-based fibers. It’s important to note, however, that the wipes need to be in the right environmental conditions in order to turn to compost. So, be sure to dispose of them correctly and remember that they should never be flushed.
What Is the TUV Certificate on the CeraVe Hydrating Makeup Removing Plant-Based Wipes Packaging?
The OK compost HOME Certificate is a certification issued by an international organization, TUV Austria, when a product meets TUV’s standards for home compostability. To learn more about the TUV certification process, click here.
What Is the Ratio of Wipes to the Compost Pile?
The biodegradable rate will vary based on environmental conditions, as well as the size and quality of your compost. You can improve the biodegradable rate of your compost by increasing the amount of organic waste mixed with your wipes. Remember, your compost needs the right mix of browns, greens, and water to decompose properly.