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Composting 101 - A Guide To Composting At Home

Writer's picture: Adison EvansAdison Evans

composting bergen county

You already take mass transit or drive a hybrid car. You bring your produce bags to the grocery store and recycle. You feel like you’re doing everything possible to help the environment, but you want to do more!


You may want to consider composting. But how do you get started? And does composting really make a difference?

These are all good questions to ask before you start composting at home. At Neighborhood Compost, we encourage people to take realistic steps toward a more sustainable lifestyle. Composting is a fantastic way to reduce your carbon footprint!

Here’s everything you need to know about composting and if you should start composting at home.

How do you compost?

All you need to do is set aside food scraps and other organic materials from the rest of your trash, sparing it from ending up in a landfill. Then, you can compost those food scraps by recycling them to create fertilizer.


Making compost fertilizer at home can be challenging, especially if you don’t have a backyard or outdoor space for your compost pile. However, you can still separate your food scraps and use a composting service.

What are things you can/can’t compost?

We have an extensive list of things you can and can’t compost, but it ultimately depends on how you plan to compost at home. For example, if you own a composting machine or have a compost barrel, you may not be able to compost bones or oils. If you have a local New Jersey farm and can create a composting pile, you should be able to compost pretty much any food matter.

composting hudson county

Take time to consider how much effort you can realistically put into composting. If you’re ready to build a compost pile in your backyard and want to monitor it throughout the year, go for it! But if you don’t have the means to do this, there are other ways to compost.


Can I compost at home if I don’t have a backyard?

Absolutely! There are a few different ways to compost, even if you live in a home that doesn’t have a green space.

  • Some neighborhood community gardens offer composting programs. You can sign up to drop off your food scraps on specific times and days of the week.

  • You can purchase a composting machine for your kitchen to compost right at home. Keep in mind these are often very expensive and require ongoing subscriptions to keep them working.

  • Another option is using a third-party composting service, which usually has pickup or drop-off options.


Are there benefits to composting?

There are plenty of benefits to composting!

  • You'll reduce your carbon footprint by rescuing food scraps from going to landfills.

  • You’ll create useful, enriching additives that will help improve the soil.

  • You’ll help reduce food waste and carbon emissions.

Approximately a third of food produced worldwide (around 133 billion lbs) ends up in landfills. This results in a high production of methane, a greenhouse gas that's 25 times more harmful than carbon dioxide. Since there will always be some form of waste, the best (and easiest) thing to do is compost!


When it comes to combatting climate change, every little bit helps. Large corporations can also implement commercial composting and recycling programs to reduce waste and lessen their carbon footprint.


Are there composting services near me?

If you live in Northern New Jersey, there are likely several composting options available near you. For example, Neighborhood Compost offers composting services for Hudson, Bergen County, Morris County, Northern Somerset and Hunterdon County. We also have commercial composting and wedding composting, too!

The best place to find composting services is to check local community gardens and search for programs to see what’s available near you. Remember, composting is an easy, effective way to lessen your carbon footprint and keep food scraps out of landfills. And since every American wastes around 1 lb of food per day, composting can end up making a bigger difference than you might think.

If you’d like to learn more about Neighborhood Compost and our composting services, contact us today! We’d love to help.


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