6 Ways To Compost in an Apartment

If you live in an apartment or condo without access to a yard, you might be wondering whether composting is even an option for you. Although building a big compost heap in the garden might not be realistic, there are a handful of easy and effective composting solutions for small spaces.

The best part? You don’t need a lot of space to start composting in an apartment. Indoor composting solutions range from experimenting with bokashi to adopting hundreds of red wiggler worms, and more.

Composting food scraps diverts food waste from the landfill and turns it into black gold, which you can in turn use to fertilize your house plants.

Photo by Conscious Design

Why bother composting in an apartment?

Composting is the natural process where organic matter (from leaves to dead animals) breaks down over time with the help of other animals, fungi, and bacteria. But when most people refer to composting, they’re thinking of the kind that we facilitate in our backyards, gardens, and compost bins. For fast results, gardeners layer different types of materials and aerate the mixture by turning it, speeding up the chemical and biological processes that turn organic waste into soil.

Although we usually picture an outdoor pile when we think of compost, there are many different ways to compost in the modern world, even in an apartment. In fact, indoor composting can be convenient and odor-free, making it easier than ever to repurpose food scraps into something valuable: black gold.

But why should you bother composting in your apartment? Maybe you don’t have a lot of space, or you don’t want yet another thing to take care of. While outdoor composting is effective and can be done on a large scale, indoor composting has a ton of benefits too.

It helps fight climate change

Nearly 22% of the municipal solid waste (MSW) that ends up in the landfill is food waste, according to the EPA. A large proportion of this (about 25%) comes from the industrial sector. In other words, from homes like yours and mine.

Although it might not seem like a big deal to throw away a banana peel here and an apple core there, when vegetable scraps and other kinds of food waste end up in the trashcan and ultimately the landfill, they aren't able to decompose naturally. That is to say, in the landfill food waste is broken down anaerobically by bacteria that produce methane, a greenhouse gas 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

It’s not just the methane that makes food waste an environmental concern, however. Approximately one-third of all food produced for human consumption is estimated to be wasted, representing a huge loss of resources used in growing, processing, and delivery.

That’s why diverting food waste away from the landfill, whether through composting or other methods, is a critical step in fighting climate change. Other important ways to reduce food waste include eating leftovers and produce before they go bad, or repurposing food scraps by making your own broth.

Finished compost (black gold) boosts your plants

One of the more accessible benefits of composting at home is the finished product: compost, or black gold. For example, studies show that soil amended with compost helps retain and deliver more nutrients to plants, boosting their overall health, productivity, and nutritional content.

Unlike fertilizer, compost is diluted and can be added liberally to all kinds of soil without risk of burning your plants, whether on the farm or in potted houseplants. Just make sure that you’ve given your compost time to finish; unfinished compost, or compost that’s still decomposing, can tie up valuable nitrogen in the soil, making it unavailable to your plants.

By composting your own food scraps at home, not only do you have easy access to a great soil amendment, but you can rest assured knowing exactly what “ingredients” you’ve been putting in there all along.

It’s easy and affordable

Buying tons of compost from a garden center can get pretty expensive, pretty quickly. When you compost at home, you can use the finished compost on your plants, saving you money that you would otherwise be using to buy bags of compost, fertilizer, or potting soil.

While composting in an apartment may not yield a ton of quantity, you probably don’t need much compost anyway. In fact, if you end up with excess compost, which is possible, you can choose to donate it to a community garden or perhaps even a friend with a garden (make sure to ask first!).

“But,” you might ask, “isn’t it expensive to buy an indoor composting system?” It depends. Yes, there are some nice set-ups that you can buy online that make composting indoors seem very glamorous. But the truth is, you can get started with very little to no initial investment.

Plus, composting in an apartment is super easy! If your compost bin is in the kitchen, you’ll never have to go very far to get rid of your food scraps. And with a smaller indoor system, you don’t have to spend as much effort turning or managing the system as you would with an outdoor one.

It doesn’t take up much space

If you live in an apartment, it’s likely that one of your biggest concerns is space. You’ve only got so much room for furniture–how are you going to fit in a compost bin, too? Luckily, you don’t need much space to compost in an apartment.

For example, if you choose to bring your food scraps to someone else, all you need is a small bin or ziploc bag on your counter, under your sink, or in your freezer for storing scraps. For your own compost system, you can keep a small bin under the sink, in an unused corner, or on the balcony.

But that doesn’t mean you have to go small. If you have the space, and produce a lot of food waste, you can always go bigger! Ultimately, a smaller system will only be able to process so many food scraps, but even diverting just a percentage of your food waste is a big step in the right direction!

Your system is unaffected by weather

Unless you keep a compost bin on the balcony, one of the key benefits of apartment composting is that your system is virtually unaffected by weather. This means that you can compost year-round. In areas with severe winters, outdoor composting is halted, and no new compost gets produced for a large portion of the year (though you can always continue collecting scraps).

In addition, composting systems designed specifically for indoor use are inconspicuous, non-odorous, and rodent-free.

It’s convenient

If your compost bin lives under the sink, it’s just as easy to compost your food scraps as it is to toss them in the garbage. This convenience can make all the difference between someone composting or not.

Over time, composting becomes a habit, and you’ll start to wonder why you ever threw such valuable materials in the trash, when they could instead be turned into black gold!

Photo by Lenka Dzurendova

How to compost in an apartment: 6 methods

Now that you’re ready to take the leap and make composting part of your everyday life, it’s time to find the right composting set-up for you. Below are 6 methods that are easy and convenient ways to compost in an apartment.

As you read on, consider factors such as space, budget, and capacity to make the best choice for you. For instance, if you live in an apartment by yourself you might not produce much food waste on a daily basis. On the other hand, a family of four might produce four times as much.

Bokashi

While not well-known, bokashi is a great and convenient composting method that takes up very little room in your home. Microorganisms referred to as “Bokashi bran” ferment your food waste, resulting in two great soil amendments: a compost tea that can be diluted with water and used as a liquid fertilizer, and solid compost that can be added to a larger compost pile once the bin fills up.

Bokashi can be started with a simple 5 gallon bucket and a few other materials, but you can also get a pre-made kit online or in certain garden centers. This method can be more expensive than others, as you’ll have to buy the bran separately to maintain a balanced system. You can check out this helpful bokashi guide to get started.

Vermicomposting

Vermicomposting is a fun and effective way to compost at home. In addition to relying on bacteria and fungi to break down your food waste, you take advantage of earthworms, or red wigglers, to turn your scraps into black gold.

To start vermicomposting at home, all you need is a plastic bin at least 10 gallons in size, some shredded newspaper or other form of bedding, and a bundle of red wiggler worms, which you can easily order online. You can keep your worm bin under the kitchen sink, or simply leave it out as an ottoman, for all your guests to admire!

Indoor compost bin

While an outdoor composting system can be as simple as an open pile, a few pallets screwed together, or a plastic bin with a lid, the same can’t be said for an indoor one. For starters, an indoor compost bin should be fully enclosed.

For the apartment dweller, a plastic 5-gallon bucket or similar container can be enough to get started. By mixing food scraps with shredded newspaper or another type of brown material, you can maintain a proper balance and end up with black gold in a matter of weeks or months. Make sure to turn the contents frequently, and add more browns if it starts to smell.

If you have a balcony, you could even consider getting a small plastic compost tumbler for an easy way to compost at home.

Countertop composter

As composting gains mainstream popularity, more and more innovative products are making it easier than ever to start composting at home. You might’ve heard of an electric composter–these systems are designed to dehydrate and break up your food waste (some even boast being able to process pet and/or yard waste) right from your countertop!

The resulting mix isn’t quite finished compost, but it can be added to your plants by mixing it into the soil, where it will eventually decompose. These electric composters are fast and extremely convenient, but bear in mind that they can come with a hefty initial price tag.

Local collection programs

If setting up a compost bin or starting a worm farm indoors don’t quite sound like something you’re up for, you can still find other ways to compost. Depending on where you live, there might be several collection programs near you.

Some cities do a “green waste” pick-up along with trash and recycling that includes food waste as well as yard waste. Other options include local community gardens or non-profits that have compost bins available for public drop-off, or some organizations will even set up collection bins at farmer’s markets! Check with friends and your local environmental organizations for options near you.

Find a friend with a yard

When all else fails, find (or make) a friend with a yard! People who already have an outdoor compost bin or pile are usually more than happy to accept more food waste, because it means they end up with more finished compost, which they in turn might be more than happy to share with you later.

If you have a friend with a yard, but they don’t yet have a compost system in place, that’s a perfect opportunity for you to tell them about all the benefits of composting at home.

Even better, share this guide with them to make choosing a composting system easier than ever!

What’s your biggest concern with composting indoors? Let us know below!