By now you may be well on your way to composting most of your kitchen scraps and yard waste. And why not? This simple act can reduce our so-called garbage by 40 per cent overnight.
A repurposed ice cream bucket on the kitchen counter can divert a surprising amount from your household or office waste stream, and these can be turned into soil in a backyard or through the community compost drop off in town (at Town Centre Recycling Depot).
Whether you’re just beginning to compost or already well on your way, a new routine to add can be tossing paper towels from the kitchen and bathroom into your bin. Bleached or not, paper towels, napkins, coffee filters and food-soiled paper to-go containers all act as food for the composting process.
Being carbon-rich, these are great for helping balance out nitrogen-rich organics, like our food scraps. The composting process requires both nitrogen and carbon to convert organics back into earth.
Adding these types of paper products to your compost bucket can also have added benefits. They tend to act like a sponge, absorbing messy liquids released as food begins to break down. Lining your collection bucket with used paper towels, napkins, or newspaper can make it easier to dump and clean out later on. And, the less liquid in your bin, the better, as too much of it creates an anaerobic environment (aka stinky compost).
Offices, schools and small businesses create an astonishing number of paper towels throughout the day. Adding a bucket labelled “paper towels only” next to bathroom garbage bins can divert this unnecessary waste from the landfill and save on trips to the dumpster. Businesses are invited to drop off this and other compostable materials to the community compost collection in town.
There are still a few items to keep out of the compost stream, including:
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pet waste and litter
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packaging labelled “compostable” or “biodegradable”
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diapers
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dryer lint
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invasive weeds (eg: blackberry, ivy, broom, knotweed)
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waxed cardboard
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plastic produce stickers
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elastic bands and twist ties
To stop paper waste before it starts, consider putting hand towels, or single-use face cloths in your bathroom at home or in the office.
Let’s Talk Trash is qathet Regional District’s waste-reduction education program.
