thank you -- this was instructive! I have a worm bin in my house, and i was told by my composting mentor that I should not compost all food scraps -- just fruits, veggies, & coffee grounds, mostly. she said that anything fatty (like that butter wrapper) or anything like bread should not be composted in a worm bin. Is she right, or can I compost all of those things in my worm bin?
Hi Holly, I've heard the same thing - no oil or butter in the compost bin, no animal products. Is it true? Can you recommend a good composting resource so we can learn more?
Holly, great video! It's great to see that the word's getting out about what actually represents garbage. Lisa and 'anonymous', you can compost cooked foods, meat, fish and dairy using bokashi. It's a bran originally from Japan you sprinkle on your food waste/plate scrapings and it pickles your waste so it can be safely composted or dug into the garden. I wouldn't advise adding bokashi compost to a worm bin though, because it's a bit too acidic. Hope this helps... You can find out more by having a look at my Bokashi Explained page.
Hey Holly! Greetings from Scotland, UK. Your composting vid was soooo brilliant - it was really funny! the dead mouse bit was class! I am owned by 3 cats, and have an on-going assortment of wiggly, furry gifts that usually get stuck behind fridges and washing machines etc etc! Seriously, great message, though, about the composting - it's the coolest thing to do, and all free! See ya! Love your site! Liz
Hello Kindred Spirit. Glad I found your site (via BFP online). Great video. Learned a few things from your video, like waxed cartons (butter containe) are recyclable. Have been composting, etc. for 20+ years. Our family of 4 produces only 1 medium-sized trash bag every 2 weeks. We call it the "Dry Trash" system. Uses Paper bag in kitchen and Blue Seal Feed bag (white woven kind) as reusable trash bag in basement (kept in metal trash can). We empty this at the dump every 2 wks and reuse it. Hence, we don't BUY trash bags. Silly, silly. My mantra is to not buy anything that is meant to be thrown away. Can't always do that, but it's a good guideline. We keep animal products (bones, fat, wrappers, etc. in a waxed cereal bag in the kitchen freezer and add them to the trash every 2 weeks. (Buy boneless meat, usually). Would like to find compost bin to use for animal products. What do you suggest? Maybe you could do a demo/booth at the VT. Flower Show. . . Thanks for your great ideas. MJC
I'm gonna post more soon on composting to address all your great comments and questions.
Thanks for all your great ideas about WasteFreeLiving. I plan to collect and make them available for folks interested in learning from our collective wisdom.
And mjc, I love your idea about the VT Flower Show! I'll have to think about that. And check out the bins on WasteFreeLiving.com to see if they suit your needs.
If I find a dead mouse outside I compost it. If I find one in an indoor trap I put it in the trash and get th4e bag out to the outdoor bin.
Lydia, the indoor cat, catches mice but doesn't always kill them. That's not as bad as what Rudy did-he liked to drop his toys on our faces while we slept. and he thought live mice were toys. He'd also make catnip tea by dropping catnip mice in his water dish.
I use an open compost pile which provides its own worms> Meat goes in into the dog unless its bone. Bones get made into soup before trashing. The only broned we have in the house are poultry-throw into a crockpot, add water, and you have stock ready to strain after some hours.
I have had no problems with composting fish and small amounts of meat, adn will compost fatty things, especially oils.
my town's recycling program takes plastic-coated paper such as butter and aspetic juice boxes.
I compost paper, eggshells, pressed paperboard produce containers, cotton cloth, animal hair, bread, yard waste, and anything that was once a plant. And used paper towels unlesss they have somethign toxic on them.
I did put spoiled cheese in a ComposTumbler once. The drain holes got clogged with maggots-euuuuuw. And it smelled nasty-unlike rottign veggie matter which is a smell i dont mind.,
When the dog steals and shreds a tube of toilet paper I compost the remains.
The biggest conributions ot the pile are oak and maple leaves and garden remains(sunflower and corn plants, tomato, melon, and pumpkin vines mostly)
I still have smellyt garbage form plastic meat wrappers and those stupid absorbant plastic things in meat trays.
Other htings you can compost: brown paers bags that are too wet or shredded to reuse, coffee grounds, paper cofee filters, tea bags, and manure.
The composting workshop my town gave defined manure as any droppings from vegetarian animals. Human waste and carnivore waste may spread diseases that humans can get from food grown in such composted waste unless you know more about doing it right than I know.
Yes, nightsoil's been around for ages but so has disease.
So not cat or dog waste anyplace you grow food, but anything from stable cleaning (including hay, sawdust, straw, etc.) to birdcage liner paper to used gerbil cage fill.
oh, the magnets for drying the plastic bags - brilliant! I've been looking for a good solution, and couldn't bring myself to spend $20 on the plastic-bag drying rack. thanks :)
12 comments:
holly,
thank you -- this was instructive! I have a worm bin in my house, and i was told by my composting mentor that I should not compost all food scraps -- just fruits, veggies, & coffee grounds, mostly. she said that anything fatty (like that butter wrapper) or anything like bread should not be composted in a worm bin. Is she right, or can I compost all of those things in my worm bin?
Thanks!
Holly and Alison,
This made me laugh out loud! My fave comment was when Holly says the calfskin "is obviously recyclable!"
And who throws away a dead mouse?! You two need a new catsitter. I'd offer, but I live in Minneapolis.
Hi Holly,
I've heard the same thing - no oil or butter in the compost bin, no animal products. Is it true? Can you recommend a good composting resource so we can learn more?
Holly, great video! It's great to see that the word's getting out about what actually represents garbage. Lisa and 'anonymous', you can compost cooked foods, meat, fish and dairy using bokashi. It's a bran originally from Japan you sprinkle on your food waste/plate scrapings and it pickles your waste so it can be safely composted or dug into the garden. I wouldn't advise adding bokashi compost to a worm bin though, because it's a bit too acidic. Hope this helps... You can find out more by having a look at my Bokashi Explained page.
Hey Holly!
Greetings from Scotland, UK.
Your composting vid was soooo brilliant - it was really funny! the dead mouse bit was class!
I am owned by 3 cats, and have an on-going assortment of wiggly, furry gifts that usually get stuck behind fridges and washing machines etc etc!
Seriously, great message, though, about the composting - it's the coolest thing to do, and all free!
See ya! Love your site!
Liz
hilarious.. your indignation is contagious... what was he thinking?? and your horror at seeing organic waste at bottom of the bin..excellent!!
thanks for the information too, the education and sharing.
great video.
thanks
Hello Kindred Spirit. Glad I found your site (via BFP online). Great video. Learned a few things from your video, like waxed cartons (butter containe) are recyclable. Have been composting, etc. for 20+ years. Our family of 4 produces only 1 medium-sized trash bag every 2 weeks. We call it the "Dry Trash" system. Uses Paper bag in kitchen and Blue Seal Feed bag (white woven kind) as reusable trash bag in basement (kept in metal trash can). We empty this at the dump every 2 wks and reuse it. Hence, we don't BUY trash bags. Silly, silly. My mantra is to not buy anything that is meant to be thrown away. Can't always do that, but it's a good guideline. We keep animal products (bones, fat, wrappers, etc. in a waxed cereal bag in the kitchen freezer and add them to the trash every 2 weeks. (Buy boneless meat, usually). Would like to find compost bin to use for animal products. What do you suggest? Maybe you could do a demo/booth at the VT. Flower Show. . . Thanks for your great ideas.
MJC
Hey, y'all!
I'm gonna post more soon on composting to address all your great comments and questions.
Thanks for all your great ideas about WasteFreeLiving. I plan to collect and make them available for folks interested in learning from our collective wisdom.
And mjc, I love your idea about the VT Flower Show! I'll have to think about that. And check out the bins on WasteFreeLiving.com to see if they suit your needs.
Ciao for niao!
Holly
holly@wastefreeliving.com
If I find a dead mouse outside I compost it. If I find one in an indoor trap I put it in the trash and get th4e bag out to the outdoor bin.
Lydia, the indoor cat, catches mice but doesn't always kill them. That's not as bad as what Rudy did-he liked to drop his toys on our faces while we slept. and he thought live mice were toys. He'd also make catnip tea by dropping catnip mice in his water dish.
I use an open compost pile which provides its own worms> Meat goes in into the dog unless its bone. Bones get made into soup before trashing. The only broned we have in the house are poultry-throw into a crockpot, add water, and you have stock ready to strain after some hours.
I have had no problems with composting fish and small amounts of meat, adn will compost fatty things, especially oils.
my town's recycling program takes plastic-coated paper such as butter and aspetic juice boxes.
I compost paper, eggshells, pressed paperboard produce containers, cotton cloth, animal hair, bread, yard waste, and anything that was once a plant. And used paper towels unlesss they have somethign toxic on them.
I did put spoiled cheese in a ComposTumbler once. The drain holes got clogged with maggots-euuuuuw. And it smelled nasty-unlike rottign veggie matter which is a smell i dont mind.,
When the dog steals and shreds a tube of
toilet paper I compost the remains.
The biggest conributions ot the pile are oak and maple leaves and garden remains(sunflower and corn plants, tomato, melon, and pumpkin vines mostly)
I still have smellyt garbage form plastic meat wrappers and those stupid absorbant plastic things in meat trays.
Other htings you can compost: brown paers bags that are too wet or shredded to reuse, coffee grounds, paper cofee filters, tea bags, and manure.
The composting workshop my town gave defined manure as any droppings from vegetarian animals. Human waste and carnivore waste may spread diseases that humans can get from food grown in such composted waste unless you know more about doing it right than I know.
Yes, nightsoil's been around for ages but so has disease.
So not cat or dog waste anyplace you grow food, but anything from stable cleaning (including hay, sawdust, straw, etc.) to birdcage liner paper to used gerbil cage fill.
oh, the magnets for drying the plastic bags - brilliant! I've been looking for a good solution, and couldn't bring myself to spend $20 on the plastic-bag drying rack. thanks :)
Thanks Holly I learned some things
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