Hit 50 pounds of food scraps saved from the landfill this month

I started keeping a compost bucket under my sink back in January and I finally weighed my haul for March. It came out to a little over 50 pounds of veggie peels, eggshells, coffee grounds, and stuff I would have just tossed in the trash. That blew my mind because I live alone in a tiny apartment in Portland and I didn't think one person could make that much waste. The city has this awesome curbside compost program so it all gets turned into soil for local farms. It got me thinking about how much food waste the average household throws away every year. Has anyone else started tracking their compost weight and gotten surprised by the numbers?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_river8d ago

My neighbor started doing this last year and got so into it he built a custom worm bin out of an old dresser drawer. Now he talks to his worms like they're pets. Named them all after famous chefs. Last I heard he was trying to convince me that red wigglers are basically livestock with no legs.

the_wren8d ago

The 37-gallon tote with holes drilled in the lid is the only way to go if you want to avoid the dresser drawer drama. I tried the drawer thing myself and ended up with a mess of escaped worms and a wife who would not forgive me for the smell. Tell your neighbor to grab a bag of shredded newspaper and some coffee grounds from the local shop to keep the bin balanced. Red wigglers are basically livestock but they're the easiest pets you'll ever have because they never need walks or vet visits. Just keep them damp and fed and they'll turn your veggie scraps into gold faster than any farmer.