Composting made very easy! for me anyway...

A couple of months ago I figured out that in Oakland all I have to do is separate my compostable trash and then dump it in a barrel, and it will be composted. The thought of composting has always been attractive, but I figured I'd have to wait at least until I had a yard, and then until I was motivated enough to construct an elaborate rig-up with earthworms and regular rotation. Turns out all I need is to live in a city where they'll pick it up once a week and rot it for you. Not that I have access to the finished product, but I also don't yet have access to a garden, and simply would like to know that my trash is being dealt with in an appropriate manner. Above is a somewhat odd picture of dumping the small kitchen pail into the sidewalk barrel used for the three households on the property. Lest you think I was discarding a beautiful, whole bean pod, rest assured that I took the beans out and ate them last night, and that pod did not appear edible.

Letting food waste go into the landfill is saaadd, because even though it is biodegradable, it won't break down in that environment and will just sit and pile up like all the other trash. Also, lots of non-food items that can't be recycled can be composted, so finally there is a spot for greasy pizza boxes, other paper food boxes like the ones you get as doggie bags or at salad bars, waxed paper, tea bags and their paper wrappers (I used to put the wrappers in the recycle bin, but I figure they probably get lost in the shuffle), coffee cups and wooden stirrers, and any other dirty paper. Then there's the food items, which include carrot tops, egg shells, coffee grounds, any peels, husks, stems or other parts of foods that your not eating, as well as leftovers, your sad old cut flowers, and yard waste. Don't tell Oakland, but I also think the compost bin is an excellent place for nail clippings and hairbrush hairballs, the latter of which was included in my last load. They say you can put meat, bones, and shells in, so I don't see why our own discarded animal bits can't be added as well! They do put a restriction on diapers and pet waste, and while I think it's tragic that every baby and dog poo in the Bay Area will be preserved for eternity in plastic bags, I understand it is probably for the safety of the workers.

San Francisco has the same arrangement, so I think slowly all the businesses and households who haven't already will begin to throw their organic matter into a different bin, so it can break down like nature intended. Hopefully lots of other cities will follow, and eventually we'll all be doing this. I'm sure lots of other cities compost already, but I know that many positive trends start in California!

Now I have three spots for waste in the kitchen, and I'm very happy to say that the recycling and compost bins are emptied about four times more often than the trash, which sits there for weeks before getting filled. Pretty cool!

Here is a slightly closer look at the adorable trash can illustrations done by my crafty domestic partner.











I think it's so cool that the government could be doing something as positive as this, and then I think, "wait, duh, right? It's so uncool that they wouldn't."

If it hasn't already, I hope your town starts composting soon! Until then, happy recycling, and maybe composting on your own! Peace.