Hey there, TopChooser community! Troy D Harn here. Ever feel like tossing those kitchen scraps feels… well, wasteful? Especially when you live in a cozy apartment? I get it. The idea of composting can seem complicated and messy, especially when you don’t have a big backyard. But what if I told you there are super easy, totally doable ways to compost right in your small living space? We’re talking about turning those coffee grounds and veggie peels into garden gold, no matter how little room you have. Stick around, because I’m about to show you some genius tips for composting in small apartments that will knock your socks off!
Composting Small Apartments Training: Genius Tips for Urban Gardeners
Living in an apartment doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the joys of composting. It’s a fantastic way to reduce waste, create nutrient-rich soil for your plants (even if they’re just a few potted herbs on your balcony!), and feel good about your environmental footprint. For those new to the composting game, the thought of setting up a system in a small space can feel a bit daunting. But trust me, it’s surprisingly manageable and can even be kind of fun! We’re going to break down everything you need to know, step-by-step, so you can start turning trash into treasure today.
Why Compost in a Small Apartment? The Big Benefits
Before we dive into the “how,” let’s chat about the “why.” Composting in an apartment is more than just a trendy eco-habit; it’s a practical solution with real benefits:
- Waste Reduction: A significant portion of household waste is organic material that can be composted. Imagine slashing your weekly trash volume!
- Enrich Your Plant Soil: Even if you only have a few houseplants or a small balcony garden, compost is like a superfood for plants, promoting healthier growth and blooms.
- Save Money: Buying nutrient-rich soil enhancers or fertilizers can add up. Homemade compost is free!
- Reduce Landfill Burden: Organic waste in landfills produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Composting diverts this waste, helping the environment.
- Connect with Nature: It’s a simple yet powerful way to feel more connected to natural cycles, even in an urban setting.
Choosing Your Small Apartment Composting Method
The trick to apartment composting is picking the right system for your space and lifestyle. Here are the most popular and effective methods:
1. Worm Composting (Vermicomposting)
This is a super popular and effective method for small spaces. You use red wiggler worms (not earthworms from your garden!) to break down your food scraps. It’s quick, odorless when done correctly, and produces nutrient-rich worm castings (worm poop!), which are a goldmine for plants.
How it works: Red wigglers live in a bin with bedding (like shredded paper or coco coir). You feed them your kitchen scraps, and they eat it, digest it, and excrete super-fertilizer. It’s a win-win!
Pros:
- Fast composting process.
- Excellent quality compost (worm castings).
- Minimal odor if managed properly.
- Compact bin sizes are readily available.
Cons:
- Requires specific types of worms.
- Sensitive to temperature extremes (don’t let it freeze or overheat).
- Can’t handle large volumes of food scraps or certain items (like citrus or onions in large quantities).
2. Bokashi Composting
Bokashi is a bit different. It’s an anaerobic (oxygen-free) fermentation process that pickles your food waste using a special Bokashi bran inoculated with beneficial microbes. It handles a wider range of food scraps than worm bins, including meat and dairy.
How it works: You layer food scraps with Bokashi bran inside an airtight bucket. The microbes work their magic, fermenting the waste. After a few weeks, you bury the fermented material (or add it to a traditional compost pile if you have access) to fully decompose.
Pros:
- Handles meat, dairy, and oily foods.
- Relatively quick initial fermentation process.
- Produces a nutrient-rich liquid “tea” that can be diluted and used as fertilizer.
- Airtight system minimizes odors.
Cons:
- Requires purchasing Bokashi bran.
- The fermented material still needs to be buried or further composted, which can be a challenge in an apartment without access to soil.
- The smell can be pungent if the bucket isn’t sealed properly.
3. Electric Composters/Food Recyclers
These are countertop appliances that use heat and aeration to break down food scraps quickly, often in a matter of hours. They dramatically reduce the volume of food waste and create a nutrient-rich, dry material you can add to soil or a traditional compost bin.
How it works: You just toss your food scraps in, close the lid, and press a button. The machine grinds, heats, and dries the waste.
Pros:
- Extremely fast.
- Reduces odor significantly.
- Handles most food scraps.
- Very easy to use – just press a button.
- Compact size fits on a countertop.
Cons:
- Higher upfront cost than other methods.
- Uses electricity, so there’s an energy cost.
- The end product isn’t technically “compost” in the traditional sense; it’s more of a dried soil amendment that still needs to break down further in the soil.
4. Small-Scale Traditional Composting (if you have the space)
If you have a balcony or patio, you might be able to manage a small, contained composting bin. This would involve balancing “greens” (nitrogen-rich materials like food scraps) and “browns” (carbon-rich materials like shredded paper or dried leaves).
How it works: Similar to traditional outdoor composting, but on a smaller scale. You layer materials, turn them occasionally, and let decomposition happen. Many compact tumblers or bins are designed for balconies.
Pros:
- Produces traditional compost.
- Can handle larger volumes than worm bins.
Cons:
- Requires more space and airflow.
- Can be slower than worm composting.
- Potential for odors if not managed correctly.
- Needs regular turning/aeration.
Setting Up Your Apartment Composting System: A Step-by-Step Guide
Let’s get hands-on! We’ll focus on the most beginner-friendly options: worm composting and Bokashi, as they are most suited for true apartment living.
Option 1: Setting Up a Worm Bin (Vermicomposting)
This is probably the most popular choice for apartment dwellers, and for good reason! It’s efficient and doesn’t require much space.
Step 1: Gather Your Supplies
You’ll need:
- A Worm Bin: You can buy a ready-made plastic worm bin (often with multiple trays) or create your own. A 10-gallon opaque plastic storage tote with a lid works great. You’ll need to drill ventilation holes (about 1/8 inch wide, spaced few inches apart) on all sides and the lid, and drainage holes (also 1/8 inch) on the bottom. Alternatively, some people use two identical opaque totes, drilling drainage holes in one and ventilation holes in the lid of that one. The other tote acts as a leachate collection tray.
- Red Wiggler Worms: Order about 1/2 to 1 pound of red wigglers online from a reputable supplier. These are the best worms for composting.
- Bedding Material: Shredded newspaper (non-glossy ink), shredded cardboard, coco coir, or peat moss. You’ll need enough to fill about half to two-thirds of your bin.
- Food Scraps: Your kitchen waste (more on what to include later!).
- Worm Food Additive (Optional but recommended): A bit of crushed eggshells (rinsed and dried) or a small amount of worm chow can help.
- A Small Scraper or Trowel: For burying food.
Step 2: Prepare the Bedding
Take your bedding material and moisten it. It should feel like a wrung-out sponge – damp, but not dripping wet. If you’re using newspaper or cardboard, shred it into strips about an inch wide. Fluff it up and place it in your worm bin. Add any optional additives at this stage.
Step 3: Introduce the Worms
Gently place your red wigglers on top of the bedding. Leave the lid off for about 30 minutes to an hour. The worms will naturally burrow down into the bedding to escape the light. This is their way of settling in!
Step 4: Start Feeding Your Worms
Wait a few days after introducing the worms before giving them their first meal. This allows them to acclimate. When you do feed them, start small. Bury about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of finely chopped food scraps under the surface of the bedding in one corner of the bin. Chop your food scraps into small pieces to make it easier for the worms to eat and to prevent odor.
What worms love:
- Fruit and vegetable scraps (peels, cores, stems, rinds – avoid large amounts of citrus).
- Coffee grounds and tea bags (remove staples).
- Eggshells (crushed, rinsed, and dried).
- Plain, unseasoned bread and pasta (in moderation).
What to avoid or limit severely:
- Citrus peels (lemons, oranges, grapefruit) – acidic.
- Onions, garlic, and spicy peppers – can deter worms.
- Meat, fish, and bones – attract pests and can smell.
- Dairy products – attract pests and can spoil.
- Oily foods and grease.
- Processed foods or anything heavily seasoned.
- Manure from pets (cats/dogs).
Step 5: Maintain Your Worm Bin
- Feeding: Feed your worms every few days to a week, depending on how quickly they consume the last meal. Rotate the feeding spot, burying scraps in different sections of the bin each time.
- Moisture: Check the moisture level regularly. If it’s too dry, mist with water. If it’s too wet, add more dry bedding.
- Aeration: The ventilation holes should provide enough air, but if your bin looks compacted, you can gently fluff the bedding with a trowel.
- Leachate: If you have a drip tray, empty any collected liquid (leachate) regularly. This liquid is nutrient-rich but can become anaerobic and smelly if it sits too long. Dilute it with water (1 part leachate to 10 parts water) before using it on plants.
Step 6: Harvesting Your Worm Castings
After 3-6 months, you’ll notice less original bedding and more dark, crumbly material – worm castings! To harvest, you can either:
- Migration Method: Stop feeding one side of the bin for a couple of weeks. The worms will migrate to the fresh food on the other side. Scoop out the finished castings from the empty side.
- Light Method: Gently dump the bin contents onto a tarp or plastic sheet under a light. The worms will burrow away from the light, allowing you to scoop off the castings layer by layer.
Your worm castings are ready to use for your plants! Mix them into potted plant soil or use as a top dressing.
Option 2: Setting Up a Bokashi Bin
Bokashi is an excellent option if you want to compost a wider variety of food scraps but don’t want the fuss of live worms.
Step 1: Gather Your Supplies
You’ll need:
- Bokashi Starter Kit: This usually includes two airtight buckets with spigots at the bottom and a bag of Bokashi bran. If you buy a single bucket, you’ll need a second one to use while the first is fermenting.
- Bokashi Bran: This is sprinkled on your food scraps. It contains effective microorganisms (EM) that ferment the waste.
- Food Scraps: Including meat, dairy, and oily foods.
- A Drip Tray or Container: To catch the Bokashi “tea.”
Step 2: Prepare Your Bin
Ensure your bucket(s) are clean. If you’re using a kit with a spigot, make sure it’s securely attached.
Step 3: Start Adding Food Scraps and Bran
Begin by adding a layer of food scraps to the bucket. Chop them into smaller pieces for faster fermentation. Sprinkle a generous layer of Bokashi bran over the food scraps – about 1-2 tablespoons per layer of scraps. Press down on the scraps to remove as much air as possible. This is crucial for anaerobic fermentation.
Step 4: Continue Layering
Keep adding food scraps and Bokashi bran, pressing down each time, until the bucket is full. Always finish with a layer of Bokashi bran on top.
Step 5: Ferment the Waste
Seal the lid tightly. The fermentation process will take about two weeks. During this time, you should periodically drain the liquid that collects at the bottom via the spigot. This liquid, called Bokashi tea, is a potent fertilizer when diluted (1 part tea to 100 parts water is a good starting point for regular use, or 1:50 for a stronger boost). Alternatively, you can add it undiluted to drains to help clean them!
Step 6: Finishing the Bokashi Process
Once a bucket is full and has been fermenting for two weeks, you need to complete the decomposition process. This is the trickiest part for apartment dwellers:
- Bury It: The ideal scenario is to bury the fermented material in a garden bed, compost pile, or even a large potted plant.
- Community Gardens: Many community gardens accept Bokashi waste.
- Worm Bin Addition: You can add small amounts of fully fermented (no longer smelly or acidic) Bokashi material to a well-established worm bin, but do it gradually.
- Decomposition: If you can’t bury it, you can put the fermented material in another airtight container or bucket for another 2-4 weeks to fully decompose. It should no longer be acidic or smell strongly.
Dealing with Odors and Pests in Apartment Composting
This is often the biggest concern for apartment dwellers. With the right methods and maintenance, odors and pests are easily avoidable!
- For Worm Bins:
- Odor: Usually caused by anaerobic conditions (too wet, lack of air) or by adding too much food at once, or the wrong types of food. Ensure good aeration, don’t overfeed, chop food finely, and avoid prohibited items. Bury food scraps well under the bedding.
- Pests: Fruit flies are the most common. Keep the lid on tight, bury food scraps, and consider adding a layer of dry shredded paper on top. If you get an infestation, you can lure them with a cup of apple cider vinegar with a few drops of dish soap, covered with plastic wrap and poked with small holes.
- For Bokashi Bins:
- Odor: A sweet, tangy, slightly pickled smell is normal. A strong foul odor usually means the seal wasn’t airtight, or you didn’t press out enough air.
- Pests: Pests are less likely with the airtight Bokashi system, but ensure the lid is always firmly sealed.
- Electric Composters: These generally have excellent odor control and are not prone to pests when used as directed.
What Can You Compost? A Quick Guide
Here’s a handy table to quickly see what’s generally compostable for different methods:
