Earlier this year, Tim Baumann, of Minot, had sustainability conversations with city residents in which people indicated they would like to see a reduction in food waste by sharing efforts in a compost program.

According to Baumann, residents were grateful for the grass clipping/compost drop-off sites around Minot but said curbside collection would be more equitable for those without time or means to drop at shared locations.

Baumann also said residents in Minot have expressed interest in “food sharing,” in which neighbors share the harvests from their garden with others. This could be simply neighbors trading surplus crops so food doesn’t rot before it’s eaten.

In regards to composting, people taking the initiative to not throw vegetable scraps away is important because they can add to great compost and keep food waste in our landfills to a minimum.

According to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, food scraps turn into methane, a greenhouse gas, when placed in landfills. Reducing the amount of food scraps in those facilities can also reduce the amount of greenhouse gases released. The concept of sharing or donating unneeded food instead of throwing it away and avoiding throwing away any non-animal food scraps, can potentially reduce the emissions put out by landfills.

I’ve learned that creating compost is like creating custom garden soil. When it all goes well, you can have a final product that is an excellent fertilizer for potted plants, gardens, flowers, shrubs or even your lawn. It’s something easy to learn that everyone can do with a little patience and helps reduce the amount of landfill space taken by material that doesn’t need to be there that is easily compostable at home. Composting can even be a building block toward living a more sustainable lifestyle.

The basics of composting are fairly simple. One needs to have a good mixture of materials high in carbon, or “browns,” such as twigs, shredded newspaper or dried leaves and “greens,” high in nitrogen ingredients such as lawn clippings or fruit peels. You should ensure the mixture has a good amount of drainage, moisture and air, and let it compost over months while turning the pile regularly.

Opinions vary on the mixture of things that go into compost and are typically between 50/50 or 70/30 “brown” to “green” ratio. This can be anything from eggshells, coffee grounds, old newspapers and fruit scraps to lawn trimmings or twigs and even to entire trees. What goes in the pile can vary greatly from house to house but something to consider is if trash goes in, most of the time, trash will come back out. So, ensure that no trash is added to your compost pile or you will have to sort through and pick it out later.

Before beginning composting, it is important to understand some basic principles behind what happens while composting. While materials are composting, they are being consumed by fungi and microorganisms, which break down the material from its original state to something akin to soil. An adequate balance of ingredients is necessary to keep the microorganisms happy and healthy, to mitigate too much or too little moisture, and maintain a balance of carbon and nitrogen. This balance can also reduce any nuisance smells typically associated with rotting food. Though meat or animal products can be composted, it is only in certain conditions not suitable for the typical household. Eggshells are an exception and can be added to a home compost pile.

There are several different types of composting. Vermicomposting uses worms to break down material and has the added benefit of adding worm castings, or worm waste, improving soil health. Pile composting, the simplest, is a pile of compostable material layered to encourage growth of microorganisms that assist in composting. Compost bins are very similar to this. They just offer some protection from pests and have a more tidy look.

Tumblers are another popular way to compost, though are best suited for easily compostable materials that compost quickly. Material is placed into the tumbler in desired ratios and the tumbler is rotated periodically until it is done “cooking.”

There is another type of compost called bokashi compost in which a mixture is inoculated with beneficial bacteria and it is sealed, creating a “compost tea.”

Finally, there is windrow composting. This method is used in industrial composting and when done correctly, generates the high heat required to break down meat, bones, bioplastics and other materials that require industrial composting.

The City of Minot offers 10 sites for people to drop off yard waste for compost. After it is collected, the city hauls the waste to the landfill, where it places it in piles where it acts as a free-for-all that people can take what they would like to use from it at their own discretion.

According to Dr. Thomas Kalb, a horticulturist with North Dakota State University Extension, the biggest danger with municipal composting is the chemicals people bring in with their lawn trimmings. People who use herbicides or pesticides on their lawns, then bring the lawn clippings into the compost, are bringing in chemicals that are harmful to garden plants and food and people. These chemicals can persist through the composting process and still be present for years in the soil and can render a garden useless. He warns that city compost is risky to try to use but says testing is available through your Extension office, or you can try a 50/50 compost and soil mix and try growing beans in pots to inspect their health. He advises people to only use the recommended amount of any herbicides or pesticides and to follow label instructions.

In conclusion, composting offers something that is easy, inexpensive or free, and can educate people on healthy soil ecology and inspire them to live in a more eco-friendly way.