@Lucy Biggers my parents aren't so open to recycling or regrowing or donating as I am. My grandparents will be moving in with me next month so hopefully they'll be more open to that as well as saving our scraps and being minimal waste. My grandfather loves gardens and farmers markets so maybe we'll be able to do more of that as well.
This is helpful information but I have a much more economical solution. We bought two black plastic circular trashcans with lids. I drilled a bunch of holes around the sides and a few in the bottom. I put the bin up on three bricks for airflow. Layer the brown and green materials and water as necessary. To rotate the bin, just put a bungee cord across the top to hold the lid on. Every week or two, take the can down from the bricks, turn it on its side, and rotate it several times in the grass. Put it back on the bricks and you're all set. Keep one for finished compost and one for new compost. It's cheap and effective. Smell is pleasant, as long as you research your brown/green mix and keep meat, oils, and proteins out of the bins. Include a few small sticks in the mix to help with aeration. Works great! Bins are on their fifth year. Total cost was about $60 for two lidded cans.
I just bought a black trash can with lid and on wheels at Lowes for $20 this week. I was using a light blue trash can with lid that has a huge crack down the side but blue doesn't attract the heat like black so we'll keep using it and rotate if needed so far its going well I probably do need to drill holes in the new one today its raining. No smells in either Yay we don't put oils meats or onions in either I do grass clippings veg/fruit waste coffee grounds and sawdust from a lumberyard. Oh and the bin Lucy shows I had one did not like it the side lid kept falling off. Anna In Ohio.
@@buckeyedav1 I hope it works for you too! My lids have cracked over time, but I keep duct taping them together and they're holding on. The air holes on sides and base are important for air flow and to help with the decaying process. Happy Composting!
Hey Lucy, l'm loving all the suggestions from your videos as they are super informative. I have a video suggestion. Can you make a video for pet owners. I have two cats and l want to learn how to make their food or find the best ways to throw out waste.
I don't have info on cat food but I can say any kind of "pooh" is compostable for flowers or shrubs not for human food consumption but outdoor plants yep. Sorry I can't site a source learned it a long time ago. Oh btw you would want to use a scooper to seperate poo from cat litter. Anna In Ohio.
Bokashi is pretty easy for an apartment, it's just a bucket. And you can collect meat, bones, dairy, pretty much everything. Epic Gardening Kevin Espiritu has a video on Bokashi
You are such an inspiration!!!! Keep on doing these videos please! I have two questions. 1. what is the best way to get rid of the cooking oil? can we compost it? 2. Could you make an episode on what kind of detergent has a less environmental impact at the same time shampoos and alike? Thanks so much!
As always, great video and great job explaining intimidating stuff! In Italy we have municipal systems that take care of the composting of our food waste, in some areas it works better than in others, but overall we are well adjusted and very familiar with the concept and the mechanism. We really need politics to do its part, but in the meantime we can all make a difference together 🌱🌍
@Lucy Biggers I really don't get it: if humankind hurting the environment is ultimately what got us into this mess, how is cutting (the already few) sustainability programs considered a solution? 🤦🏼♀️
Thank you for your efforts for the human species. Great works, like yours here, give me hope. My efforts at composting began with 5 pallets and a tarp liner to hold heat.
Human species are just like any other race : some portion of it is worth saving and some are valid targets for natural selection and some selfsave themselves. 🙄
In So. California we've had a worm bin for years. Sometimes they would die off in the heat. So we got a small deck box (22 gallons) from Amazon and lined the inside with insulation (with the aluminum side towards the worms). We drilled the holes. Since it is sitting on dirt under a pluot tree, we drilled holes in the bottom where the worms can escape from the heat, too. They have survived fantastically. Being vegetarians, we have a lot to put in the bin. This year I've buried our citrus rinds (from two big trees) and onion scraps in small holes in the yard, until the soil has gotten too hard to dig from lack of rain for so many months. BTW, seeds from organic cantaloupe, butternut, and spaghetti squash buried on top of the rinds exploded into beautiful plants with blossoms that turned into fruit/vegetables. In January 2021 our city is asking people to put food scraps into our green bin. I will put the citrus rinds there when the digging gets too hard while waiting for rain.
I'm from Northern California and they haven't got rid of compost yet. When we didn't have compost before I would take a small jar to Whole foods and sneak in there. Boy! It seems we go 1 step forward and 1 step back. Thanks for your video....
Bless you for the double perspective of DIY without loosing sight of the much greater task of Municipal systems coming in to action. It´s relaxing to see americans talking about climate change... there is still so much to do so fast ! By the way since you have that broader perspective too you might want to join Extinction Rebellion, great strategy, great people. Thanks again! Hello from Spain
Love this I need to have my parents watch this! I to get them compost with the amount of waste produced by them! 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️ Working progress, but I'm determined! Thank you so much for sharing! I love your videos!
WOOO 6K VIEWS AND NO DISLIKES! this video is amazing,thanks for the help and this is the first time I see a video with no dislikes with 1k or more views nice
Old plastic trash cans make great composting bins. Cut the bottom out, turn upside down, add food scraps, shredded junk mail etc. put the lid on. Whenever - just lift up the trash can & move it to he side, then turn over the contents into the moved trash can. The finished compost will be on the bottom. Add worms to speed up process. If you get the moisture level right it goes even faster.
I'm really sorry but I dont get the big deal of composting at the city level. Maybe it can create jobs if it was made to be private. Not everything needs to be done at the city/state level right? Great vid!!!!! Very informative. I have a private compost service and its so easy and not expensive.
I recycle five gallon paint buckets since they are free to me..as a painter. I sell buckets o castings or cans of worms 😋 if every OTHER home helped break down organic matter, nature would benefit 👍🏼
I definitely agree that this practice will be the next best way to tackle the climate change issue, just wondering if there's any plans or ideas to ban plastic production? I must say it would be quite a tricky task as American oil giants have committed billions to construct a petrochemical plant from scratch, which is going to spew unbeknownst amount of plastic bottles everyday. And yeah, their mother company should be supplying crude oil to make plastic.
Question: can food still decompose in the landfill even if it’s not “composting” don’t know if that makes sense but does food on the ground decompose anyways
That's a great question. Food can breakdown in landfill but it is generally a very poor environment to do so in a beneficial way. So similar to how you want to get a good mix of browns and greens you also want oxygen, water and elevated temperatures which you don't usually get in landfill.
I'm surprised you put a plastic film under your compost bin. It should be in direct contact with the soil so that bacteria, earth worms and microfauna in the soil can decompose your food. I have a a worm bin in a very small appartment: very easy, no bad smell, no flies or anything else. You just have to make sure it's the right kind of worms (Eisenia Foetida) and to put enough "brown material" like cardboard (but preferably not newspapers as the lady of nyc compost project shows - the ink is toxic and its not a breathable material). No animal product in a worm bin (except egg shells)
Exactly. You want to stop rodents and things like that, but you want to encourage small things like worms that are going to eat and breakdown the compost. Contact with the earth is important for this.
I don't want to sound negative but I don't get it. You're trying to be more environmentally friendly by composting so you buy a plastic bin? How is that earth friendly? What about the fossil fuels needed to manufacture, ship and store it? What happens to it when it begins to break? Repurposing pallets would have accomplished the same job with a more earth friendly solution. When the pallet rots, it goes back into the ground.
You don't have to buy any of those composters. You can do this for free. I guess I don't live in a city that would give me a rodent infestation though. I mean, I have a cat if I really needed to use it. Normally I have to keep the cat inside so it doesn't hurt the ecosystem by killing birds. If you NEED an enclosed structure you can reuse any bin. You don't have to buy one for so much money.
I don't have compost in my apartment building complex. I think I'll start saving it in the freezer to give it to my parents regularly; their compost is being picked up by the city!
It's awesome that your parents are open to this, Lucy!
@Lucy Biggers my parents aren't so open to recycling or regrowing or donating as I am. My grandparents will be moving in with me next month so hopefully they'll be more open to that as well as saving our scraps and being minimal waste. My grandfather loves gardens and farmers markets so maybe we'll be able to do more of that as well.
I’m so lucky we have a place called MOM’s organic market that has a compost drop off so I just drop off all of my compost there :)
This is helpful information but I have a much more economical solution. We bought two black plastic circular trashcans with lids. I drilled a bunch of holes around the sides and a few in the bottom. I put the bin up on three bricks for airflow. Layer the brown and green materials and water as necessary. To rotate the bin, just put a bungee cord across the top to hold the lid on. Every week or two, take the can down from the bricks, turn it on its side, and rotate it several times in the grass. Put it back on the bricks and you're all set. Keep one for finished compost and one for new compost. It's cheap and effective. Smell is pleasant, as long as you research your brown/green mix and keep meat, oils, and proteins out of the bins. Include a few small sticks in the mix to help with aeration. Works great! Bins are on their fifth year. Total cost was about $60 for two lidded cans.
Just wanna say thanks for the full info on how to make a bin cheap 🙏
@@cau1471 You're most welcome! Gardening is best when everyone can afford to participate.
I just bought a black trash can with lid and on wheels at Lowes for $20 this week. I was using a light blue trash can with lid that has a huge crack down the side but blue doesn't attract the heat like black so we'll keep using it and rotate if needed so far its going well I probably do need to drill holes in the new one today its raining. No smells in either Yay we don't put oils meats or onions in either I do grass clippings veg/fruit waste coffee grounds and sawdust from a lumberyard. Oh and the bin Lucy shows I had one did not like it the side lid kept falling off. Anna In Ohio.
@@buckeyedav1 I hope it works for you too! My lids have cracked over time, but I keep duct taping them together and they're holding on. The air holes on sides and base are important for air flow and to help with the decaying process. Happy Composting!
Love the clip at the end with your mom! "YOU can walk them out to compost" hahah, but so happy they're on board!!
Thank you for sharing this! Your video has inspired me to begin composting using the worm system in my studio apartment.
the wigglers do not like garlic, onion or citrus rind, they will crawl out of their home to escape
Refreshed my garden soil with compost from my compost bin last month. First time ever. It's very satisfying!
Hey Lucy, l'm loving all the suggestions from your videos as they are super informative. I have a video suggestion. Can you make a video for pet owners. I have two cats and l want to learn how to make their food or find the best ways to throw out waste.
I don't have info on cat food but I can say any kind of "pooh" is compostable for flowers or shrubs not for human food consumption but outdoor plants yep. Sorry I can't site a source learned it a long time ago. Oh btw you would want to use a scooper to seperate poo from cat litter. Anna In Ohio.
Thank you for this series!! Definitely the best of NowThis Future channel!!
I'm positively addicted to composting - it's so FUN! and rewarding :))
I love your videos because it's very informative, it's so sad to those people who didn't discover this channel yet.
Bokashi is pretty easy for an apartment, it's just a bucket. And you can collect meat, bones, dairy, pretty much everything. Epic Gardening Kevin Espiritu has a video on Bokashi
You are such an inspiration!!!! Keep on doing these videos please! I have two questions.
1. what is the best way to get rid of the cooking oil? can we compost it?
2. Could you make an episode on what kind of detergent has a less environmental impact at the same time shampoos and alike? Thanks so much!
As always, great video and great job explaining intimidating stuff! In Italy we have municipal systems that take care of the composting of our food waste, in some areas it works better than in others, but overall we are well adjusted and very familiar with the concept and the mechanism. We really need politics to do its part, but in the meantime we can all make a difference together 🌱🌍
@Lucy Biggers I really don't get it: if humankind hurting the environment is ultimately what got us into this mess, how is cutting (the already few) sustainability programs considered a solution? 🤦🏼♀️
Thank you for your efforts for the human species. Great works, like yours here, give me hope. My efforts at composting began with 5 pallets and a tarp liner to hold heat.
Human species are just like any other race : some portion of it is worth saving and some are valid targets for natural selection and some selfsave themselves. 🙄
In So. California we've had a worm bin for years. Sometimes they would die off in the heat. So we got a small deck box (22 gallons) from Amazon and lined the inside with insulation (with the aluminum side towards the worms). We drilled the holes. Since it is sitting on dirt under a pluot tree, we drilled holes in the bottom where the worms can escape from the heat, too. They have survived fantastically. Being vegetarians, we have a lot to put in the bin. This year I've buried our citrus rinds (from two big trees) and onion scraps in small holes in the yard, until the soil has gotten too hard to dig from lack of rain for so many months. BTW, seeds from organic cantaloupe, butternut, and spaghetti squash buried on top of the rinds exploded into beautiful plants with blossoms that turned into fruit/vegetables. In January 2021 our city is asking people to put food scraps into our green bin. I will put the citrus rinds there when the digging gets too hard while waiting for rain.
I'm from Northern California and they haven't got rid of compost yet. When we didn't have compost before I would take a small jar to Whole foods and sneak in there. Boy! It seems we go 1 step forward and 1 step back. Thanks for your video....
Bless you for the double perspective of DIY without loosing sight of the much greater task of Municipal systems coming in to action. It´s relaxing to see americans talking about climate change... there is still so much to do so fast ! By the way since you have that broader perspective too you might want to join Extinction Rebellion, great strategy, great people. Thanks again! Hello from Spain
Love this I need to have my parents watch this! I to get them compost with the amount of waste produced by them! 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️ Working progress, but I'm determined!
Thank you so much for sharing! I love your videos!
Thank you! 💙
For sure. I don't have my mom taking out recycling more than trash now & I make sure to call out my sister & dad to recycle. Lol
Want one of those bins for my backyard!
Thanks for sharing happiness 😄
6:50 Don't the worms escape through those holes in the middle of the night and sneak in my bed? huhhuuhaaaa
WOOO 6K VIEWS AND NO DISLIKES! this video is amazing,thanks for the help and this is the first time I see a video with no dislikes with 1k or more views nice
Old plastic trash cans make great composting bins. Cut the bottom out, turn upside down, add food scraps, shredded junk mail etc. put the lid on. Whenever - just lift up the trash can & move it to he side, then turn over the contents into the moved trash can. The finished compost will be on the bottom. Add worms to speed up process. If you get the moisture level right it goes even faster.
I hope there was a share waste site in Jersey City
Try Bokashi composting. I can do it inside our apartment.
🙌🙌 share waste!!
I've been composting for years now and I can tell you it's not hard. The most important thing is to have lots of carbon.
I'm really sorry but I dont get the big deal of composting at the city level. Maybe it can create jobs if it was made to be private. Not everything needs to be done at the city/state level right?
Great vid!!!!! Very informative. I have a private compost service and its so easy and not expensive.
I recycle five gallon paint buckets since they are free to me..as a painter. I sell buckets o castings or cans of worms 😋 if every OTHER home helped break down organic matter, nature would benefit 👍🏼
Hi there, I would like to learn zero waste detergent. Would be good to have it at home and helping the environment too
Could I keep the worms in my outside storage closet?
I definitely agree that this practice will be the next best way to tackle the climate change issue, just wondering if there's any plans or ideas to ban plastic production? I must say it would be quite a tricky task as American oil giants have committed billions to construct a petrochemical plant from scratch, which is going to spew unbeknownst amount of plastic bottles everyday. And yeah, their mother company should be supplying crude oil to make plastic.
Question: can food still decompose in the landfill even if it’s not “composting” don’t know if that makes sense but does food on the ground decompose anyways
The food does decompose in the landfill but as Lucy explained that it produces a huge amount of green house gases
And gets wasted.
That's a great question. Food can breakdown in landfill but it is generally a very poor environment to do so in a beneficial way. So similar to how you want to get a good mix of browns and greens you also want oxygen, water and elevated temperatures which you don't usually get in landfill.
Hi
Can napkins and paper towels work?
Yeah, of course
I have 3 peanut butter containers that I used alternately to compost, while I'm letting the other one compost, I'm filling the other one.
You can water your compost with Indigenous microorganisms (IMO) to not smell
I'm surprised you put a plastic film under your compost bin. It should be in direct contact with the soil so that bacteria, earth worms and microfauna in the soil can decompose your food.
I have a a worm bin in a very small appartment: very easy, no bad smell, no flies or anything else. You just have to make sure it's the right kind of worms (Eisenia Foetida) and to put enough "brown material" like cardboard (but preferably not newspapers as the lady of nyc compost project shows - the ink is toxic and its not a breathable material). No animal product in a worm bin (except egg shells)
Exactly. You want to stop rodents and things like that, but you want to encourage small things like worms that are going to eat and breakdown the compost. Contact with the earth is important for this.
Bokashi is another alternative for apartments
Bokashi compost also can be consider
I am so disappointed with New York :(((( WHYYYYYYYYYYY
I don't want to sound negative but I don't get it. You're trying to be more environmentally friendly by composting so you buy a plastic bin? How is that earth friendly? What about the fossil fuels needed to manufacture, ship and store it? What happens to it when it begins to break? Repurposing pallets would have accomplished the same job with a more earth friendly solution. When the pallet rots, it goes back into the ground.
Who else gets excited about compost? 😁🌱
I didn't realize you were married, Lucy! How come we haven't seen him at your parents place?
She hides him under the bed. :-D
He comes out a bit on her stories
Oh no
I tried composting in my apartment with a worm bin but I got so many gnats I had to throw it out.
I think if we really wanna help the planet, grow our own food and make compost with everything including meat, bones and dairy
Just bury your kitchen scraps! It what my great-grandparents did when they had to grow their own food and didn’t have money for all this.
You look just like your mom Lucy.
You don't have to buy any of those composters. You can do this for free. I guess I don't live in a city that would give me a rodent infestation though. I mean, I have a cat if I really needed to use it. Normally I have to keep the cat inside so it doesn't hurt the ecosystem by killing birds.
If you NEED an enclosed structure you can reuse any bin. You don't have to buy one for so much money.
Very sad...
I don't have compost in my apartment building complex.
I think I'll start saving it in the freezer to give it to my parents regularly; their compost is being picked up by the city!