Don't add to Maine's food waste problem.compost food waste

Open bins like the one pictured here are suitable for garden waste, but should not be used for kitchen waste. Evan Rohn/Shutterstock

Last month, I was shocked to read that an estimated 40 percent of the solid waste processed in Maine's public treatment system is food waste. (It is said that the rate is almost the same nationwide.)

This statistic was published in a newspaper article about a bill that would ban food waste from Maine's solid waste landfills. The currently proposed bill would exempt households from the ban. I think that's unfortunate. Home composting is easy if you have a small plot of land to grow flowers or vegetables.

My wife and I do two types of composting: in the garden and in the kitchen. Fallen leaves and other garden waste are easy to compost because they don't attract wildlife. This kind of compost is completely safe in an open bin that I made from bundled recycled wooden pallets. However, compost from household food waste should be covered. Otherwise, squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, woodchucks, mice, and other critters will eat the scraps, leaving your garden cluttered and littered with scraps.

A few years ago, we purchased a compost bin from the Cape Elizabeth Public Works Department. Although this program has ended, composters are available for purchase at most garden stores. Look for one that is breathable and has a lid that closes tightly.

Our food scraps make a few stops on the way to the dumpster. His wife, Nancy, cuts a gallon plastic milk jug to keep her handle and still have a large opening to put the scraps in. We keep the jug in the kitchen sink and transfer the scraps to two (5-gallon) pails in the garage. Once the bucket is full, throw it into an outdoor trash can. When we've had heavy snow in the past few years, we've sometimes waited up to three weeks before going to the trash can, but in the last few years we haven't had any problems with snow, so we've been able to get a little exercise or go outside whenever we feel like it. I am. fresh air.

Composting not only helps the environment but also gives you very good soil to use in your garden. Photo courtesy of University of Maine Cooperative Extension

When you read about home composting, you'll see a lot of advice about not adding meat scraps, bones, seafood shells, cheese, or other animal products to your compost pile. It is said that animal products take too long to break down into usable compost and can even attract wildlife. I didn't find the latter to be true. We have bricks and stones in our closed trash cans, especially near the vents and where we take out the compost, to keep animals out.

In addition, meat scraps and bones will eventually decompose and become fine compost. Anyway, there's no need to rush to get it. Some of our waste goes through multiple cycles. When the bin is full, open the bottom, trowel to remove the compost, and sift out any material that hasn't fully decomposed and return it to the top of the bin. I spread the rest in the vegetable garden and mixed it into the soil by turning it with a spading fork.

The most common items that require two trips through the composting cycle are lobster, clam, and mussel shells, and sometimes steak and pork chop bones. I think seafood shells are worth the effort. Some commercial compost products advertise themselves as adding nutrients and trace minerals to the compost. The coffee filter in a drip coffee pot also needs to be used multiple times, but the powder itself breaks down quickly.

We also compost paper and cardboard that is contaminated by food and cannot be recycled, such as takeout containers or grocery store packaging.

I only remove compost from the bottom of the bin when the bin is full and I can't add any more food scraps. Usually that's by now when the material has melted. And after midsummer and Thanksgiving (a holiday that generates a lot of food waste the year we host it), before the possibility of freezing.

Non-food compost is also added to the garden. When pulling out early crops such as peas, cover with compost so that the soil is not exposed. After the first frost, I spread the remaining compost, concentrating on areas where I planned to grow heavy forage such as pumpkins and potatoes. Mix it into the soil using a hoe.

The whole process takes some time, but it's not a big deal. It's also more environmentally friendly than sending food waste to a landfill or incinerator. In addition to this, you can save some money by reducing, if not eliminating, the amount of commercial compost you have to purchase.

Tom Atwell is a freelance writer and gardener in Cape Elizabeth. He can be reached at tomatwell@me.com.