Reducing food waste
Food Waste Prevention Resources
The best way to mitigate waste is to not create it in the first place.
Tools to help you reduce food waste:
Store food properly so it doesn’t spoil before you use it.
Understand expiration dates and food labeling.
Cooking for a crowd? Estimate how much to make with the “Guest-imator”
Complete a food waste audit to understand your waste.
Shop with an organized, meal-oriented grocery list.
At-Home Composting Tips
The Basics:
Food Waste + Straw (or old leaves) + Water + Air = Compost (AKA Incredible Fertilizer)
Add straw or old leaves to your household food waste, water every once in a while, turn it on occasion to get air circulating and you’ll get compost.
Get Started:
This brochure broadly covers your options for home composting and helps you get started.
This article reviews a variety of outdoor compost bins as well as some good ideas for DIY projects if you would like to build your own set up.
This article reviews a ton of composting tools on the market. Many of these are particularly helpful for folks who can’t have standing piles due to pests, bears, or limited space.
If you are interested in exploring the world of worm composting (also known as vermiculture), WSU extension has some great information to get you started and also offers troubleshooting.
Avoid conflicts with wildlife:
One easy way to manage wildlife while composting is to sign up for our Residential Composting Program - dump your bucket weekly with no worries about pests or bears at home!
Here are some tips from our neighbors to the north and northeast for keeping bears out of your pile: from Vermont and from Canada.
Composting in Winter:
Here are some tips to keep your compost going through the winter.
You can also sign up for a Winter Only Compost Pass through our Residential Composting Program. Give us a call at (509) 997-0520 or email us at info@methowrecycles.org to set one up.
Summary:
There are many ways to compost! Choose what works best for you. How quickly your food waste breaks down depends on outside temperature, how moist the pile is, and how often you turn it. It is possible to compost in bear country and in the winter. Compost does not have to be smelly.