you could buy the bucket if you don't want to take the stuff out there right then and there, those special buckets you speak of are probably the ones where you do all the composting in the actual bucket right? since you are using a compost pile a plain rubbermaid tote would work just fine for keepn scraps til you have enough to lug out to the pile. i've never done it, it may start to stink i dunno....that's why i carry my scraps out right then and there usually.

I take the basket out of the coffee maker every day and dump it in the compost. Same goes for any kitchen scraps. For the kitchen scraps, I just use a paper towel (which goes in along with the scraps).

If you cover it and don't dump it every day or so, it WILL stink. (Ask me how I know?)

If you don't cover it, it may dry out a bit, but it takes longer for it to start stinking, and that's usually when it gets kind of deep.

Since I have ADD and am kind of lazy, too, I found a stainless steel, flat-bottomed bowl at the thrift shop that holds about 3/4 gallon of stuff. When it starts to overflow, that forces me to take it out to the compost pile. I learned that a large container doesn't work for me. And wet scraps get heavy, too.

Sue

I keep one of those large plastic coffee cans/containers next to my kitchen sink. Since it has a lid, it doesn't smell - until I open it to add more. I take it to the compost pile every few days.

I keep a small (1 qt) container by the sink, but it gets emptied every day. I can't imagine filling a rubbermaid tote with garbage. What a stink!

The plastic buckets that use for the scoopable kitty litter are the _IDEAL_ kitchen scrap buckets to use. They will lock in any odors 100% I promise you. I have several of them and during a particularily lazy period I had four of them full in the garage for several months. Not a whiff of a bad smell coming from them but once i finally opened them it smell worse then the lechete that falls out of the back of a garbage truck, having self composted itself into a soupy slop over winter.

Not exactly shining stars for my diligence but I'm telling you there's nothing better than those buckets to hold in the smell...

I use a one-gallon plastic pitcher that has a cover on it. It stays on the counter next to the sink, doesn't look bad at all, doesn't stink at all, and every other day I have enough to take out to the compost pile.

Just keep adding your scraps every time you are ready to take them out to the compost heap. Then pile on more dry leaves in layers. You're well on your way. I like to introduce soil enzymes to my new compost piles with a shovelful of garden dirt. Anybody see Stephen King's The Langoliers? Those round things with teeth remind me of the enzymes that eat everything up in the compost pile. Just a thought. :)

A friend of mine drove by this morning on his way to work and unloaded half a pickup full of fresh green grass he had mowed yesterday. I've been needing more green. Happy Day!!!

I use a square plastic tub and keep it in the spare freezer til full. Makes for clean collecting and I can even crush the frozen stuff (like banana peels) very easily after it's hard.

Anyone else do this?

g'day melissa,

my suggestion would be to not store the scraps for any period inside well not over say 48 hours, there is bound to be odour problems and usually you get those little vinegar flies around.

depending on how many scraps you generate you could use a very larger worm farm (the worm farm size is dependent on how much scrap there is and their capacity to process that scrap on going), with worms you need to hold out certain material though ie.,. citrus, onion and fats/meats.

for us the simplest way for all rottable kitchen scraps is to daily or every second day we tuck them under the mulch in the gardens where they benefit the graden the best. we have a small container on the bench top that when it's full out it goes. this way everything gets composted into the garden over time.

if you go the compost bin/pile way i'd still suggest you add the scraps in daily and try and get the worms into the compost heap, so obvioulsy the heap will be anabolic as there will be very little heat in it.

len

Here is a link that might be useful: len's garden page

Melissa - everything from the kitchen can and should be added to the "outside leaf pile" if that is what you have ASAP if it is at all convenient - like you aren't on crutches and there is no blizzard blowing. ;) It just gets to be habit at the end of the day after a bit so anything with a lid that holds a days worth is all you need. As others have said you don't HAVE to buy any special bucket - it is just a matter of convenience.

But I would agree that if you do go with some interim container then keep it small and plan to empty it within 48 hours max. Inside storage, even in the garage, is not only smelly but attractive to bugs and pests. Compost stuff belongs in the compost pile. ;)

Dave

Hi Melissa,
My Hubby bought me a lovely ceramic compost bucket, with a lid and handle, from Gardener's Supply (maybe it was a hint?). It looks nice sitting on my counter and certainly doesn't stand out as a "compost bucket". I only empty it when (1) it's full or (2) Something smelly gets put in it. Believe me, it's gone far longer than 48 hours, but perhaps I'm not putting things in there that smell (for instance, I don't drink coffee, I drink tea, and tea bags don't smell badly). What's nice is that if it gets all "gunked up", I can just throw it in the dishwasher and really get it clean and sanitized. If you want to see one, just go to www.gardeners.com. However, you certainly don't need anything this fancy just to collect kitchen scraps! I'm just offering it as an alternative. MacThayer

I think since I have alot of those large plastic kitty litter buckets laying around, I'll use them.

Thanks
Melissa

You have lots of good advice on containers.

I want to commend you for starting to compost kitchen waate. So much of this compostable material ends up in the waste stream when it could be composted and turned into a valuable commodity it makes me sad.

The most important OTHER lesson about kitchen waste composting (after container issues) is to chop/cut your wasted into very small pieces. Large pieces don't break down well, while smaller pieces break down much quicker. Some folks even put them in the blender/processor with water and chop them into a slurry.

Right now I have a mini-vermicomposting operation in my pile. My compost pile was mostly grass clippings and shredded leaves. Over the winter I buried more and more kitchen waste and coffee ground in the center. With the spring warm up worms are rising by the thousands out of the ground and eating their way through the pile to get to the kitchen waste buried in the center. It's so cool to watch!!!

Anyway--stick with it. In addition to doing something good for the planet, you're doing something good for your garden.

Two of my bugaboos came up here. You only need to chop up your compostables (or, heaven forbid, blenderize them) if you're in a race with someone. Chopping up your compostables is for hobbyists.

The quickest way to get compost is to start composting. And the quickest way to discourage all visitors and members of your household from composting is to introduce them to a stinking, fruitfly-infested compost bucket. Compost buckets are best in the gallon-sized range, and best emptied daily. For those of you who let your compost build up on your kitchen counter, I'm curious how far out in your back forty is your bin that you can't empty it daily?

I really hate seeing people give composting a bad name.

Melissa- Salute to you for composting your kitchen scraps! I started doing it in earnest about 15 years ago and suddenly realized how much gets wasted- and I've always been a "frugal-with-food, clean my plate" sort o' guy. You still have peels, rinds, seeds, etc. that could rejuvenate your soil, and help you grow better produce than you'll buy in any store. Best of luck and Happy Harvesting.

Welcome Melissa!
I think all the bases about the "collection" process has been covered, but here's my 2 cents: I use a stainless steel compost pot on the kitchen counter (it has a double odor-filter in the lid) - it's about a gallon capacity.

Why do I put it on the counter? Well, b/c if I were to run outside w/every scrap, I'd probably make 10 trips a day - there's the breakfast napkins & toast scraps & maybe strawberry tops, then the 10 am coffee making means emptying the breakfast coffee grinds, then there's the lunchtime (when I'm home for lunch) left over salad or veggie or fruit scraps, then there's the dinner prep, and the various misc paper towels throughout the day. Oh, and all of the pressed board boxes, egg cartons, paper towel tubes, etc. (but those go into a separate bag mostly).

So, the countertop crock gets filled up about once a day or every other day, and then after dinner, I'll just take it out to my compost pile (which is actually a rubbermaid 33 gal container b/c of locale limitations).

Why did I get the stainless steel countertop compost crock? It was a Christmas gift to me from my DH to allow him to keep his sanity, which he was "losing" due to seeing (alleged) "garbage" on the counter (albeit in tupperware containers) for more than an hour.

The stainless steel sits next to the coffee maker, looks attractive, is out of the way, and makes it easy for the entire family to be a part of, and support, the composting efforts. :)

Have fun! All the Best, Tree

PS I've put a link to a list of 201 compost items below, in case you wanted inspiration!

Here is a link that might be useful: 201 Compost ingredients

I bought a lidded compost bucket (stainless steel) from Lee Valley, and it's great! The lid fits so well it's made me lazy. It doesn't smell for about a week, so I don't empty the compost.

This topic made me curious, so I went out to check- I use a secondhand 'Grower Ron's Bucket o' Bark'-orchid mix-2 gallon lidded container, take it out about every 3-5 days-it's handy, because it's out in my garage, which is right off the kitchen. If I leave it too long, & it gets bugs, I wash the bucket out w/ the hose, after dumping.

I use a plain white 2 gallon bucket that doesn't have a label, but looks like it might have held joint compound or something. It looks like the 5 gallon buckets but smaller. Liek thistle, I dump it every 3-5 days or so and then wash well.

I am constantly putting stuff in the bucket throughout the day, so I don't push the top on tight or anything, it just rests on the bucket. Lift and plop whatever in. No blending or chopping or shredding. If there are food scraps on the counter, I use a napkin or something (usually re-used) to wipe up and in that goes. Used paper plate, napkins, tissues, in they go. If there's a little juice or soda left in a glass, in that goes too. The top seals enough that it doesn't smell except when I open it and the smell gets worse in the summer. Yes there are sometimes little flies in there in the summer but they don't bother me.

Dumping the bucket everyday just ain't gonna happen.

So glad to see not everybody dumps thiers once a day. I have been dumping 1/week and don't mind it at all. I have been having great luck with the kitty litter bucket. I keep it in the garage and only get fumes when I open it up to dump more in.

Thanks so much for the link on what can be composted. I was wondering about grain or bean dishes that were boiled in veggie broth. It's unbelievable how much we throw away, that can go in a pile.

Melissa

disneynut1977 - In regards to your grain/bean dishes boiled in veggie broth - toss them on in. I like to think of my pile as a vegetarian that eats peelings and cores. :) So, I don't feed it meat, dairy, etc. But, egg shells are fine - especially if you dry and crush them first. I rinse mine out and leave them on a paper towel on the counter until they dry and then crush them in an old coffee grinder but you don't have to get that sophisticated - just crunch them up a bit.

I have a mini trash can that I use for my scraps. I empty it maybe 2 or 3 times a week, unless I have a lot of wet/stinky stuff in there. It seals tightly so there is no smell, and it has a nifty step opener thingy so I don't have to touch the lid and get it all dirty with my wet vegetable covered hands.