Which is the best compost unit for a small kitchen???

Question

We are a family of three including my husband, 12 month old, and myself. I'm looking for a small compost unit that is easy to maintain and can be kept in the kitchen. My plan for the compost is to dispose outside back in the woods to cut down on trash use and be more green. I've looked at the Bokashi system and a junior wormery. I have two cats as well and I'm concerned with the worms with them. What would be the easiest, provide the least compost for disposing outside, and best for the kitchen? Any other suggestions would be helpful. We're a single family income so I'm looking to not have to spend an extreme amout on monies. Thanks.

Answer 1

The simplest thing is to collect food scraps in a small container in your kitchen, then empy the container in your actual compost pile in the back yard. What you keep in the kitchen is just a holding station until you feel like walking to the actual compost pile.

The container itself is not important. Ours is a plastic pail with a lid and a handle. I'm sure you can find something like this for less than $20. We keep our compost pail in the freezer. If you have the freezer space, it's perfect because food scraps don't start to rot until they leave your home. It makes a WORLD of difference smell-wise.

As for what you use out back, this depends on what you are composting. If you are only composting kitchen scraps, then you'll want to use a worm bin. If you have yard trimmings (grass clippings, dried leaves, etc.) then a large bin or pile is what you want. It doesn't have to be fancy, either. Even a pile is fine if you have the space. Check with your town's local web page -- they may sell compost bins at a reduced rate. Many cities in CA do, anyway.

Again, if you have a small baby, you are probably very busy. Keep the actual composting out of the kitchen so that if you ignore the compost for a while there is no harm. Neglecting compost inside your house... you don't want to do that.

Answer 2

Because of the smell, why would you want to compost in the kitchen? And I don't under stand your concern about the worms and the cats. I have a small compost pile out behind the garage, and the cats don't really bother with it.

Answer 3

My neighbor's cat spends most of his time in my yard. I have never seen it near/in my compost pile.

Buy a tupperware container. 2-3 quart size. Put your kitchen scraps in there. Take it outside to your compost pile 3 times a week.

Answer 4

I have a tin on my counter that I put the daily scraps into then I transfer them to a covered with holes in it black container outside my home. I live in the city, so space is my challange.