Pro tip: Keeping torn paper by my bin fixed my wet compost problem

I used to dump all my kitchen scraps straight into my compost bucket, and it would turn into a soggy mess pretty fast. After reading a forum post, I began tearing up old newspaper and keeping a bag of it next to the bin. Now, whenever I add apple cores or carrot tops, I throw in a good amount of paper shreds too. This simple step soaks up the extra liquid and lets more air mix in. My compost stays much drier and seems to break down quicker than before. I mean, idk, maybe it's just me, but I noticed less fruit flies and no awful smells. Before, my setup felt kinda gross, but now it's way more manageable. This little habit made composting in my apartment actually pleasant.

2 comments

2 Comments

wendyc633d ago

Tried that paper trick last year and honestly it just made more work for me. Felt like I was constantly tearing up junk mail and it never really mixed in right, left clumps in the bin. I found just being picky about what goes in works better, like avoiding really watery stuff. My system runs fine with more browns from the yard but I get it's different for apartments.

lisa_roberts642d ago

Clumps are the worst part of that trick. When you said it never mixed in right, I had the same problem with newspaper sticking together in wet globs. Tearing it smaller than you think helps a lot, like confetti size. It soaks up the juice without making those nasty clumps. My bin stopped smelling after I figured that out. Give it another shot with finer paper bits, maybe it'll click for you too.