Composting indoors turns your kitchen waste into rich compost for your plants and garden. Even if you live in an apartment or high-rise building, you can compost using an indoor, automatic composter.

Urban Composting

Most people have heard of using a compost keeper, such as a pail or bucket, to accumulate kitchen scraps that can then be used in a backyard composter or compost bin. But what if you don’t have a yard? Now there is an indoor compost machine that runs on electricity (as little as 50 cents per month) that will turn your kitchen waste into rich compost. Nature Mill makes an automatic kitchen compost machine that makes indoor composting easy. Simply add your kitchen waste (see the chart below for what can be composted) and some brown materials (such as sawdust or coffee grounds) and remove the finished compost every two weeks. The machine itself, when used properly, produces little or no odors due to its sealed design and air filter. When the compost is removed, you will need to cure it outdoors before using it in your indoor plants. This can be accomplished using a tarp on a balcony or rooftop. If you are using the compost outdoors, there is no need to cure it before use.

What to do with the compost
Once the compost is cured it can be used on your indoor plants. However, you may have more compost than plants. Compost can also be used in a garden or on the lawn. If you have more compost than you personally need don’t fret, there are others who would love to have it. You can give your compost to a friend or donate it to a local park, landscaper, or garden center. They will be grateful!

What kitchen items go into compost

With experience, you will get a feel of what composts well and what does not. A good rule of thumb is that any material that you can recognize in the final compost should be avoided in the future, or cut into smaller pieces first. Certain materials, such as meat, fish, and dairy, can be used in indoor composters, but not outdoor composters where rats, raccoons, and bears can be a problem.

Some items compost better than others. Coffee grinds decompose easily. When in doubt, add just a little and then check the end result carefully! Listed below is a general chart of what can be used in an automatic kitchen compost machine.

RECOMMENDED
materials

NOT RECOMMENDED
materials

Add a mix of "green" and "brown" items:

"Green" items:

fruit, vegetable scraps
meat, chicken, fish
fish bones, shrimp tails
cheese, eggs, egg shells
tea leaves, tea bags
grass & plant clippings

"Brown" items:

sawdust, wood shavings (untreated, unpainted wood)
bread, rice, pasta, grains
nuts, nut shells, straw
dry flowers, small yard leaves
coffee grounds, paper filters

pourable liquid, chemicals, soap, cosmetics, medicine
plastic, metal, glass, rubber, alcohol, cigarettes
office paper, newspaper, magazines
hard or fibrous items: chicken & steak bones, lobster & clam shells, wine corks, avocado & peach pits, corn cobs & husks, coconut shells, lemongrass
diseased foods, human waste, disposable diapers
limit very acidic items to 2 lbs (900g) per load: oranges, grapes, berries, plums, pickles, tomatoes
1-2 piece limit for lemon, lime, grapefruit, pineapple

Indoor composting machines have opened the door to urban dwellers to actively engage in composting. To see more details on the Nature Mill machines, please visit my website (www.backto-nature.com).