So, you are definitely wondering what the heck I am talking about. I am referring to my compost bin which only occasionally contains mold and rotten fruit.
Let me start from the beginning. Almost two years ago I decided to start a compost pile in my backyard to reduce the amount of waste I was sending to landfills. I had grand plans to use the soil in my houseplants, but my plants did not live long enough to see that dream come true.
Anyway, I basically started throwing compostable materials in a pile at the edge of my yard and called it a compost pile. It only required an occasional turn with a shovel and minimal monitoring to make sure nothing funky was going on.
What people don’t tell you is that it takes an insanely long time to get the soil to build up to a decent-sized pile of dirt. After two years, I have only gotten a few cups of dirt from the pile and those went into my mom’s houseplants. Apparently, she buys heartier plants than I do and they have survived our family’s natural tendency to both over and under water.
When I started getting ready for college, I was devastated to leave behind my prized compost pile, even though it was worth little more than sentimental value. There was seemingly no way to compost as a freshman living on campus, so I reluctantly threw perfectly good organic materials into the trash can where they would be sent to the landfill and turned into methane. My friends had to hear me complain about the lack of a compost system every single time I had a banana peel or apple core. Luckily, they are understanding and knew this was an issue that really bothered me.
Over the summer, I had a sustainability internship for Stevens and spent seven hours per day researching environmental stuff. One of my first missions was getting a compost program started at Stevens so nobody would have the same frustrations I did. Although I hit some barriers trying to start a compost program on campus, I found that Hoboken offers free composting to all residents, including those living in Stevens residence halls. So, I immediately started planning how to best implement a composting system in my college suite with suitemates and a constant flow of guests. Luckily my friends are all very supportive of my, sometimes wacky, sustainability things and were totally ready to start composting.
I brought a mini trash can to use as the compost bin and stored it under the kitchen sink so guests wouldn’t accidentally put trash in it. Every few days the compost needs to be emptied to prevent mold. This means I need to carry my neon green compost can through the South Tower, across campus, and down Washington Street to City Hall. The walk takes about 40 minutes which is kind of long to be doing multiple times per week, but I try to use the time to catch up on podcasts or music. Sometimes my friends walk with me which makes it way more entertaining.
I definitely get some pretty weird looks with my mini neon green compost can, but that is half of the fun. I have considered putting the can in a bag to conceal it on my walk, but I have found that being bold with sustainable actions also helps spread awareness. Of course, the educational component only works if people actually know what I am doing, which they most definitely do not.
Anyway, if you are interested in composting, please check out the Hoboken compost page. It is completely free. You drop off compostable materials and they handle it from there. I would recommend storing your compost in the freezer, especially if you don’t want to empty it frequently. This will prevent any chance of mold or odors.
If you see me walking around campus or Hoboken with my mini neon green compost bin, please say hi! I would love to stop and talk to you about composting!
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