The Wall Street Journal’s Gwendolyn Bounds walks us through an array of composters, demonstrates the pros and cons of each, and finally shows us how easy it is to get started! Take a few classes in composting 101 by watching this video.
The Sierra Club, SCGH LLC, and their partners are not in any way or form endorsing or recommending
any of the products or services listed by any of the providers or advertisers. Please see Terms of Use.
GreenCheck is a registered service mark of SCGH.
© 2012 Sierra Club Green Home. All Rights Reserved.
October 14th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
I love this article! I had no idea there were so many ways to compost.
November 3rd, 2009 at 6:16 pm
The video was really funny. It makes composting seem a lot less difficult than I thought it was.
November 3rd, 2009 at 6:17 pm
Some really great composting ideas! Great article and great video.
November 6th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Great video
November 6th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
COMPOSTING SEEMS LIKE A BREEZE. IT’S GREEN AND SORT OF FUN. BUT I DON’T KNOW IF I CAN HANDLE WORMS AND CRITTERS LIKE THAT. GROSS.
November 11th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
Composting always seems like such a technical and difficult process. This video is pretty entertaining though.
December 7th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Composting is so gross!!! But really cool and beneficial for your garden.
December 7th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
The worm thing is really gross. But I feel like it’s much greener than the first suggestion on the video, which probably uses a lot of electricity.
December 7th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
This video is crazy. Informative though.
December 7th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
If you choose to make compost with worms, do they absolutely have to be Red Wigglers, or is that just what she happened to choose?
December 7th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
That whole process with the worms was disgusting. I don’t mind having worms, but swishing up the food looked gross.
December 7th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
those worms were way too much trouble. that was more like having worms as pets! id rather have the sputnik composter
December 7th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
I really like Gwendolyn girl, she’s funny. Great video!
December 7th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
Definitely getting that automatic composter.
December 7th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
I definitely want to start composting. Isn’t it mandatory in San Fransisco? I think that’s a great way to reduce waste.
December 7th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
Sometimes I eat lunch at Whole Foods, and they have a composting bin right next to the trash and recycle bin. But I ALWAYS see trash in there! It’s like people don’t even know what composting is!!!!
December 8th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
Very entertaining piece! She made composting actually look fun!
December 8th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
This girl is nutso
December 8th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
I got one word for composting…gross. but I guess it’s good for plants.
December 8th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
It is gross, but so is the waste in our landfill. Its a small price to pay to reduce your impact.
December 8th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
I think we should do everything we can to reduce our impact. More places should be like San Fransisco and make composting mandatory. And for those of you who have plants, that’s FREE fertilzer for you!
December 9th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
composting IS fun!!
December 9th, 2009 at 6:50 pm
This grl is funny, kinda makes me wanna compst. kinda.
December 9th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
I’ve composted for years; and I mean years. I wish it was second nature to everyone.
December 9th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
i love this siteeee!!!! and these videossssss!!! ive started redecorating my place and came here first
December 10th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
I personally want the Nature Mill composter– from what I’ve seen through my own research on the web, as well as through word-of-mouth, Nature Mill is the best choice–plus you can also choose your own color. My main reasons for this is partly because I don’t want to have to go outside all the time to rotate a compost pile, plus I want to be able to collect the compost tea to feed to my indoor plants. Now I just have to save enough money to get one– they are not terribly expensive, but I don’t think Santa’s putting one for me under the Christmas tree this year either
December 10th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
That globe looking thing that she’s pushing looks like too much work! Composting isn’t the easiest thing, but it also shouldn’t have to be a work out!
December 10th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
Back home where I’m from, we do it the old-fashoned way– one big heaping pile that we throw a tarp over to keep from the elements. I gues it’s good that now more people are takin an interest in this b/c it creates less waste and it’s good for your crops or plants. If you want a fancy device then fine, but it’s just as easy to DIY.
December 29th, 2009 at 8:07 am
I’ve been using an outdoor composter (black plastic domed tub variety) for upwards of 7 years – works quite well. I have 20 indoor tubs that I’ve set up for vermicomposting in my community (and for selling the worms). They’re only as grosse as you think they are. After spending as much time as I do with them, it not different than changing diapers on kids or picking up doggie doodoo. Vermicompost is quite different from regular garden compost since it contains extras that make more of a more claylike compost (sticks together well) whereas regular garden composting is looser. Try both methods – its cool to experiment.
January 6th, 2010 at 9:27 am
Worm composting is awesome, and use up daily food scraps, bread, banana peels, apple cores etc. I blended my worm food and poured it on like she did in the video. My worms were happy. I no longer have them contained. They are free in my garden doing their thing.
I like the big sphere the best on the stand for rotation. Yepper that is the one i would want. Now I just toss out all my scraps (bones and meat scraps go to the dogs) in a couple different areas of the garden and leave it to compost on its own. It works too, just that it takes longer, but the worms take care of it eventually. It would be better to be more compost efficient with one of the Composters. Everyone should be composting. There are so many affordably priced. Even for the kitchen counters, and non smelly ones with replaceable charcoal filters. It is not just that it is “GREEN”…but definitely good for our Earth’s soil. No matter where we live.
January 6th, 2010 at 6:22 pm
I’ve been composting and organic gardening since the early 80′s. One thing that you’ll find is that more scraps, peels, cores, etc. are available for your composter if you eat more veggies . . . even more still if you grow as many of those in your own garden as you can. Benefit begets benefit.
I’ve had the local waste management company replace our large trash can with one much smaller and we still only trule discard a few things not compostable or recyclable. I’ve composted with simple piles or mounds and usually they work fine. I currently use a cube-shaped bin with a lid so there isn’t any way for wild rodents or racoons to rumage through it.
I don’t even complain if a neighbor’s dog leaves a “gift” in my front garden. It get’s turned into the composter and works itself right in.
Also don’t forget you can add newspaper. paper towels, cardboard, etc. when lacking dry garden refuse in the “green” months.
Earth worms will find the composter, I don’t find them.
Happy composting / gardening!
January 25th, 2010 at 10:34 am
Great vid, funny and informative. I have been composting for years and echo the thoughts of some here about the simplicity and value of composting. It doesn’t require a fancy do-hicky, only organic matter, oxygen and H2O. A periodic turning hastens the process, but otherwise nature normally takes her course and decomposition will occur in any case.
Re. questions about worms I found this on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources website;
“The worms
Now comes the fun part — choosing your worms. No garden-variety worms for you. In fact, you’ll want to avoid nightcrawlers and other garden worms, they don’t survive well in a worm bin.
The best worms for vermicomposting are redworms. The redworm (Eisenia foetida or Lumbricus rubellus) also known as: red wiggler, manure worm, red hybrid, striped worm, fish worm. Whatever it’s called, the redworm is the worm capable of reproducing quickly in captivity, while chomping copious quantities of food waste.”
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/caer/ce/eek/earth/recycle/compost2.htm#worms
July 6th, 2010 at 9:19 pm
Composting is by no means technical, it’s actually super easy! Just throw all your food waste (besides meat and eggs) into something as simple as a hole in the ground. It just needs to have enough carbon so you’ll need to throw in leaves, grass, sticks, and what have you. Bingo Bango a few months later, compost.
July 18th, 2010 at 11:28 am
[...] start with the most straight-forward option (which, as usual, is also the best choice). Composting is ideal, it turns out. It takes the food straight out of your kitchen and puts it back into the [...]
February 24th, 2011 at 4:42 pm
These options (except for the little monster-he’s way cool) seem way way too expensive, energy consuming, and labor intensive. I’ve been composting for 20 years by simply burying food scraps in a convenient (near kitchen) part of the yard. All you need is a small pick to loosen, dig, and turn the soil. If you water every 3 days or so (I use excess shower & laundry water), and turn it a couple times, it should all be gone (decomposed) in 2-3 weeks. Chopping it up finer or freezing it first speeds up the process. I keep a milk carton in the fridge & when it’s full I bury. Water compost when you do the garden & it’s almost effortless. For subsequent composting, I just move to the area right next to it. 3 small areas is enough to do a constant rotation. My latest tomatoe plant sprouted out of the compost soil. I just let it grow and it’s producing massive amounts of hothouse tomatoes daily! Yum!
June 5th, 2012 at 1:33 am
Several people mention digging a hole and throwing food scraps in, then covering them with dirt. While this in theory is a good way to make compost, it has one fatal flaw. In many neighborhoods, it will attract rodents or other scavengers, who will dig up the scraps, and then multiply. Next, they will look for more food in your home. Or, large scavengers like coyotes may be attracted. Once coyotes get used to finding food around your home, they may want to snack on your pet. The bottom line: all composters that are outdoors and have food scraps in them need lids or screens to keep out the animals.