Easy DIY · 친환경 생활

Backyard composting: six steps to balance browns and greens

Outdoor composting depends on browns, greens, air and moisture. Apartment residents should check building rules and local food-waste requirements first.

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This adapts EPA guidance for backyard composting, not instructions for indoor electric food-waste processors. Do not start a pile where odor, pests or building rules make it unsuitable.

Your try-it-at-home checklist

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1. Choose a well-drained, ventilated outdoor spot and check building permission and local food-waste rules. Avoid shared hallways or indoor spots with pest risks.
2. Gather browns such as dry leaves and shredded uncoated paper, plus greens such as vegetable scraps and coffee grounds.
3. Use roughly two to three volumes of browns per one volume of greens, and cover food scraps with a brown layer.
4. Aim for the moisture of a wrung-out sponge. Add a little water if bone dry; add browns if soggy or smelly.
5. Turn occasionally to add oxygen. Keep meat, fish, bones, dairy, fats and contaminated plant materials out of a typical backyard pile.
6. Allow dark, crumbly, earthy-smelling compost without visible scraps to cure; EPA advises at least four more weeks of curing after active composting.

Your try-it-at-home checklist

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