Easy DIY · 친환경 생활

Start a backyard compost bin in six steps: browns, greens and moisture

Balance vegetable scraps with dry leaves, exclude meat, dairy and pet waste, and manage moisture and odor. This is a guide to outdoor backyard composting.

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Wikimedia Commons · Ksd5 (Siddharth Patil) / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0, attribution appreciated) · CC0 1.0 ↗

The U.S. EPA emphasizes carbon-rich browns, nitrogen-rich greens, moisture and oxygen. Check your own municipality's rules before home processing food waste. Dehydrated or ground kitchen scraps from an electric appliance are not necessarily finished compost.

Your try-it-at-home checklist

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1. Check local food-waste rules and choose a well-draining, accessible outdoor backyard site. In shared housing, verify building rules and risks of odor or leaks.
2. Collect carbon-rich 'browns' such as dry leaves, small twigs and uncoated shredded paper, alongside nitrogen-rich 'greens' such as raw fruit and vegetable scraps and coffee grounds.
3. Put bulky browns on the bottom. Add about 2–3 volumes of browns per one volume of greens, covering food scraps well with dry material.
4. Keep the mix damp like a wrung-out sponge, and turn it occasionally for air. If it smells or becomes soggy, add dry leaves and turn it.
5. Exclude meat, fish, bones, dairy, oils, pet waste, diseased plants, glossy paper and produce stickers from an ordinary backyard pile; check local collection rules.
6. When active heating ceases and food scraps are no longer visible, let the material cure for at least four weeks. Mature compost should be dark, crumbly and earthy; return undecomposed pieces to the pile.

Your try-it-at-home checklist

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