I read this article in the New York Times:
I’m interested in farming, but having a couple of farmer friends, I’ve come to recognize the numerous downsides of farming. But worm farming/vericomposting? That would be right up my alley. None of the problems with animal management. Who couldn’t manage worms? I’ve never heard of worms getting sick or needing antibiotics, inoculations, or kicking or biting you when you’re trying to help them. And with the raised, covered bins, probably not as much problem with drought, floods and other weather-related farming problems.
I like to look up the origins of words and for the word ‘compost’ I found:
from Latin compositus to put or come together; (see composite)
Uh huh, uh huh, makes sense, like the opposite of decomposition.
One of the items that made the list of ‘possessions to be moved with us to the country’ was our backyard compost bin. When we moved into our city home 35 years ago, there was a crude compost bin in our backyard. It was made out of discarded pallets and chicken wire and tucked under a large lilac bush. I’d never composted before, but the idea appealed to me and I used it for years, until the wire rusted out and the pallet wood began to rot and decompose.
After a few years without a compost bin, I missed the enriched, fertile soil it provided, free soil enrichment that added microorganisms, worms, arthropods and humus to our city soil, enrichment that gave a boost to soil that was otherwise clayish and dense. I coaxed my husband into agreeing that we needed to purchase a sturdier, ready-made compost bin. “It will will keep our compost tidier and our yard looking neater. We won’t have to spend so much on various bags of soil enrichers.” Who knows what else I promised, but armed with his backing I began my research. And not surprisingly, given my dichotomous nature, I opted for a polypropylene model.
Polypropylene? I mean really, if one of the more important purposes of using a compost bin, at least for me, was to reduce waste and promote recycling, how in the world could I justify this behemoth hunk of "forever" plastic? I’m pretty sure I’d my eye on a handsome, rot-resistant wooden one, but it probably cost five times what my black plastic bin would cost. Once again, as in many a battle between the preservation of the environment and the preservation of our bank balance, the bank balance won out.
I must say, however, that 15 years later it stands, proudly, outside of our new country home. Okay, maybe not so proudly, as I have it tucked behind a couple of shrubs in an not very noticeable area near the side of the house by the deck. But, it has held up remarkably well over the years. Which makes me think the environmentalists are probably correct when they say that polypropylene will take a thousand years to break down. Or, is that polystyrene?
Our country waste collector has limits on the amount of waste they will pick up, without charging additional costs. We were totally spoiled in the city, where there were seemingly no limits to what one can discard. So, in an effort to reduce the amount of garbage we produced, we took a renewed, fevered interest in proper waste management. We separate out our recyclables for pick-up, and we participate in our county’s annual “electronics, hazardous waste” drop-off, so when we compost our food waste, we really have very little ‘garbage.’
It was a bit trickier setting up our compost bin out here. Within a couple of days, the varmints had discovered it. They’d figured out quickly how to open the lid. When we secured the lid they’d dug underneath the bin to enter from underground. (Note: our compost bin is the type that has no bottom, to allow for worms to enter and process the waste.) We secured chicken wire to the bottom and lower sides of our compost bin and we were back in business.
Composting has now developed into a good habit. I could no more toss a rind or peeling into the garbage than I could toss a piece of garbage out of my car window while driving. And It serves a better purpose to compost than to dump food waste down our garbage disposal where it will go into our septic field. And best of all, we have the free fertilizer I promised my husband. It’s the little things in life... ;-)
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