Urban Composter (one-month-old)

After one month, is it that I’m just used to it or is the smell really nearly gone? Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but I really think once the compost starts “cooking” the smell issue comes under control.

I probably should throw away my first “batch” of compost (and might end up doing that) because of some of the initial mistakes I made.

Lessons learned:
1. Don’t compost broad leaves from bushes and trees. The leaves from the rose bouquet aren’t anywhere near to composting.
2. Be sure to take off those little sticky labels from vegetables and fruits; they live on forever.
3. Hoard black-and-white newspaper to use for dry filler because most newsprint has color inks.
4. No need to spend a lot of money to buy fancy equipment (although it is a little fun to see what’s being marketed).

Things I did right:
1. Aerate (mix the compost up) about once a week.
2. Compost predominantly uncooked vegetable waste (I do throw in egg shells, coffee filters, laundry lint). I will probably start introducing some cooked food (non-meat) waste now that the composting process is going smoothly.
3. Keep two containers: one that can age quickly for 4-6 weeks; the other that holds cumulating compost.
4. Reduce odors by making sure liquids don’t accumulate at the bottom by layering filler (thin leaves and shredded newspaper); also use filler on top to keep the heat in and the bugs and smells away.

Let me know what you think, if you have any tips to share, or if you want to get started.

Perpetually Reclaiming (the) World