I did a little research and found these helpful sites about indoor composting in an apartment kitchen:
www.idealistcafe.com/2008/09/apartment-composting-how-to-compost.html
planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/apartment-compost-guide.html
www.journeytoforever.org/compost_indoor.html
There's no "need" to buy expensive equipment but, hey, if you're going to have a hobby, it always fun to look at the new gadgets, etc. that are available. After composting with an old container, I did buy a fancy, composting bin with filter. It hasn't done much for the composting process but I think it might cut down on the odor.
I decided to compost only uncooked, kitchen waste, only plant matter, no dairy or animal products (except egg shells). I use shredded newspaper (black-and-white), flowers/plants, dryer lint to soak up liquid. Although Alisa was lobbying for vermicomposting, I really don't want to bring in and deal with squiggly creatures.
However, after one-and-a-half weeks, I see that the composting process will take some time.
The clementine peels take forever to break down as well as asparagus stems. The shredded newspapers have clumped up. The Valentine bouquet hasn't integrated but continues to bring joy to the mix -- a little over seven pounds, so far. Some of the how-to sites suggest using a food processor to break things down first, but somehow using electricity to "make" compost doesn't work for me (yet).If you are also composting, please share your tips and lessons learned. I'll check back in a couple of weeks with another progress report.
Peaceful Recycling Warrior
