Sustainability & Environment

Used cat litter is one of the most common questions in home composting — and one of the most carefully answered. The short answer: not for vegetable garden compost, and generally only for ornamental garden compost with specific precautions. The reason is Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite present in some cat feces that can survive standard…

Hot compost is the term for compost piles that reach thermophilic temperatures — 130°F (54°C) and above — during active decomposition. The heat comes from concentrated microbial activity in piles with the right materials, moisture, and size. Hot compost finishes faster than cold pile composting (14-30 days vs 6-12 months), kills weed seeds and most…

Healthy finished compost has a pH between 6.0 and 8.0, with the sweet spot around 6.5-7.5. Active compost piles drift through different pH ranges during decomposition — initial pH around 4-5 from organic acid release, climbing through neutral as microbial activity proceeds, finishing at slightly alkaline. Testing pH at different stages reveals whether the pile…

Office composting programs differ from restaurants, stadiums, and schools in operational scale and worker engagement. A typical 200-person office generates 5-12 lbs of compostable waste daily, mostly from coffee grounds, lunch leftovers, and pantry waste. Programs work best when integrated with existing facilities management, when properly sized for actual volumes, and when employees develop simple…

Compost applied to garden soil produces nine documented improvements: it adds slow-release nutrients, increases organic matter content, improves soil structure, enhances water retention, supports microbial diversity, reduces fertilizer needs, sequesters carbon, suppresses plant diseases, and buffers pH variation. The improvements aren’t just gardening folklore — agricultural research at land-grant universities has documented each effect across…

Yes, you can compost onion and garlic skins. The common warnings against them are partly true and partly overstated. The sulfur compounds that give alliums their pungent smell can discourage earthworms in vermicomposting systems, and the dry papery skins decompose slowly. But for most backyard compost piles, onion and garlic skins are fine inputs that…

A first vermicomposting setup takes about 30 minutes once you have the bin and worms in hand. The Worm Factory 360, Hungry Bin, Urbalive, or a DIY rubbermaid tote all work for apartment-scale or small-home vermicomposting. The basic recipe: bedding (shredded paper or coconut coir), worm-friendly food scraps, and red wigglers (Eisenia fetida). Once set…

An espresso machine produces a compressed disk of spent coffee grounds — called a ‘puck’ — after each shot. A household making 1-3 espressos daily produces 100-300 pucks per month, totaling roughly 1-3 pounds of spent grounds. These pucks are one of the cleanest compost inputs available: high nitrogen content, near-perfect moisture, no contamination, and…

Composting at high altitude — above 5,000 feet, increasingly above 7,000 feet — presents challenges that lower-elevation composters don’t face. Thinner air affects microbial respiration; lower atmospheric pressure speeds water evaporation; high UV exposure can sterilize pile surfaces; lower temperatures slow decomposition; and the often-dry climate adds moisture management complexity. Composters in Denver, Boulder, Albuquerque,…

Indoor houseplants outgrow their pots over time. A pothos that started in a 6-inch nursery pot in year one may need an 8-inch pot by year two and a 10-inch pot by year three. When you repot, you generate organic waste: old root-bound soil, broken pieces of dead leaves, sometimes the old pot itself. Most…

Oven spills are inevitable in any active kitchen — bubbling lasagna, dripping pie filling, exploding food experiments. The conventional response is commercial oven cleaner: caustic chemical sprays that work fast but produce hazardous fumes, require ventilation, can damage some oven surfaces, and arrive in plastic packaging that ends up in landfill. The natural alternative —…

Memorial Day gatherings — backyard barbecues, family picnics, community events — typically feature centerpieces that reflect patriotic themes. The conventional approach uses synthetic red, white, and blue decorations: plastic flags, foil banners, synthetic ribbon-wrapped vases, plastic-flower arrangements. Most of this decoration goes to landfill after the holiday. Compostable alternatives exist for nearly every Memorial Day…