A Complete Guide on How to Create Compost in Your Apartment

“Compost in the apartment – are you crazy?” 

This is often the reaction we get when we talk about installing a compost bin in your apartment. The first thing that people ask about is the smell, which as you’ll see below really isn’t an issue. In this guide, we’ll dispel a few myths about composting in an apartment and explain how you can install a compost bin yourself. We’ll also explain the benefits of composting and offer a few tips on what you can do to create compost that is nutrient-rich.

First though, let’s explain exactly what compost is.

What is compost?

Compost is a mixture of various ingredients used to fertilize and improve the quality of the soil. 

It’s basically decomposed organic material, from plant or food scraps. The process takes both plant and animal matter, and breaks them down into a product that is good for the environment. It’s really about the aerobic decomposition of organic material into a fertilizing and nutrient-rich humus. 

Farmers refer to compost as ‘black gold’ as it’s rich in nutrients and can be used for gardening, agriculture, and horticulture.

What are the benefits of compost?

As we’ve just mentioned, compost is rich in nutrients. Adding compost to your garden or indoor plants will significantly improve the overall health of the plant. It’s not only about your plants though.

Composting is an excellent way to reduce pollution, conserve water, reduce greenhouse gases, reduce carbon footprints caused by burning landfill wastes, reduce the need for irrigation due to excess rainfall runoff.

Composting is great for the environment because it reduces food waste and gives nutrients to the soil. It reduces our carbon footprint by decreasing how much landfill space is needed.

It’s a great way to reduce the volume of household food waste, create a rich source for your garden, and bring your apartment closer to sustainability.

Now, on to a few facts about indoor composting

In the beginning, we spoke about people being concerned about the smell of compost in your apartment. Let’s clear up a few things about the process.

1. Does it smell?

No. With the right equipment, your compost bin won’t smell. A healthy compost pile will have an earthy smell, which can even be pleasant. Compost gets a bad odor when there is too much nitrogen or if it gets too wet. You’ll find out further down in this guide about how to avoid that.  

2. What if the worms escape?

A real fear for many, including us, is that you’ll wake up with worms who have busted out climbing all over your face while you sleep. Worry not, because worms flourish in dirt and won’t last very long if they leave their home. So, there’s very little chance of them moving off to greener pastures. With the right bin, these little guys will stay put and keep doing their job. 

3. Will I really be making an impact to the environment by composting?

Okay, so you’re not going to win a Nobel Peace Prize for installing a compost bin in your apartment. The reality though is that the more people who adopt home composting, the bigger an impact it will collectively make. 

While your single compost bin might not change the world, it may help to change your own one. It’s not only good for your plants, but it’s great for the environment. 

4. It’s complicated

Not at all. It’s actually incredibly simple. Once you’ve set up your bin, you’ll get into a weekly routine of adding left over food into it and letting nature do all the work. You’ll find out how to set it up further on in this guide.

5. It takes up a lot of space

Again, not true. All Depending on how much compost you’d like, you can start with a small or medium-sized container. If you have space in your apartment, under your stairs perhaps, then you won’t even realise you have a compost bin in your home

6. You have to place your bin outside for it to work

A process called vermicomposting, which is basically worm composting, works wonders in the home. If the worms freak you out, there are plenty of electric composters that will automatically heat and aerate scraps for effective indoor composting.

7. Compost bins have to be in the sun to produce results

The sun may make the process of composting go quicker, but you’ll still get results in your apartment. Just make sure you have the right worms and follow our tips below to get the most out of your compost bin.

8. Compost is acidic

Nope. The finished compost product is nearly PH neutral, depending on what food scraps have gone into the compost bin. It’s important you don’t add lime to your compost to neutralize the PH.

9. Composting attracts pests and mice

Also not true, if you do it properly. If you prepare your compost bin correctly as we outline below, this won’t be a problem. A compost bin does not breed any of these pests.

10. You can’t compost cooked food

This one is completely false. While cooking does cause minor chemical changes, cooked food has about the same material as uncooked food. Most of the molecules remain the same in both. 

Setting up an indoor compost bin

Right, so we’ve convinced you to set up your very own compost in the apartment. Welcome aboard! Here are a few steps you need to follow to get everything set up so that you can start making your own black gold.

Firstly, here are the tools you need:

• A drill with a one inch and one-eighth inch drill bit
• A plastic container (more on this below)
• Shredded paper
• Screening material
• Waterproof glue
• Some dirt
• Worms (more on this below)
• Some water
• A trowel (to move the compost in the bin as needed)
• A food scraps container (to place your food scraps into)

The worms

Okay, so this is the part that freaks most people out when they try to compost in the apartment. Without worms, your compost bin won’t be effective. The EPA recommends a pound of red wigglers because they consume waste very quickly. You can also use earthworms though. A quick search online and you’ll find various places where you can buy either. You can also consider European night-crawlers. Whichever you choose, make sure that the worms are not an invasive species and are safe for composting.

Here’s a few reasons to try worm composting:

• They work fast: In less than two weeks worms can convert most leftovers and scraps to finished compost 
• They keep going in winter: As long as you keep your compost bin above 55 degrees and below 80 degrees F, the worms will keep hard at work throughout the winter season
• Worm fertilizer is rich in nutrients: Worms create fertilizer that is far superior to any commercial product. You’ll see the difference in no time once you top-dress your indoor plants

Now that you have everything you need, here’s how to set up your compost bin.

1. Find the right container

Obviously, you’ll need a compost bin to house your worms. Well, you’ll actually need two. One must be taller which will rest inside the shorter bin. Only the taller one will need a top. There are plenty of plastic containers available which you can choose from. A quick Google search will bring up all sorts of options for you to consider. The size of the bin will depend on two things. Firstly, how much space do you have in your apartment to store the bin. Secondly, how much compost do you want to create or need. We find that those that are approximately 15 inches deep, 25 inches wide and 5 inches high work best.

2. Preparing your containers

Once you have your containers, drill a 1-inch hole two inches from the top of the taller bin on one side. Then, do the same on the opposite side. After this, drill four 1/8-inch holes near the bottom corners of the bin. You’ll need to cover each of the holes with the vinyl screening and then glue it all into place with the waterproof glue to stop the worms from escaping. Once you’re done, put the tall bin into the shorter one. You don’t need to drill any holes into the short bin. 

3. Find a place to store your compost bin

It’s best to find a space that is dark and dry. Under the sink is an ideal place if you have the space, as it’ll be easy to keep an eye on and you won’t have to go far to add your food waste to it. If you have storage space under your stairs, that’s another great location. Some people even choose to store it on a countertop, but considering that it’s compost, it’s not the preferred option for many! 

4. Prepare the soil, paper, water and the worms

Now that you have your compost bin space, you’ll need to combine the soil with the shredded paper and enough water to make it damp. Don’t wet it too much (make sure the mixture is very moist, but not forming any puddles of water). Then, place this mixture into the tall bin and fill it up about three inches deep. Next, you’ll need to add your worms. Let them get used to the space for a day or so before feeding them.

5. Feeding the worms

As you go about preparing and cooking food, place the scraps or leftovers into the food scraps container. This includes fruit and vegetables, grains, ground coffee, tea bags and leftover cereal. It’s important that you don’t add the following items to the container:

• Eggshells (worms can’t digest them)
• Bread (absorbs all the moisture)
• Meat 
• Dairy
• Oils
• Fatty foods in general
• Bone
• Plastic, obviously
• Coffee filters
• Avoid stems, wood and outside layer of onions as it takes the worms a long time to digest them

It’s important that you only feed the worms once a week. This is because worms work best when they are left alone, so rather only feed them once or week or longer.

When adding the food scraps to the container, use the trowel to make a hole. Place a small piece of paper in the hole then add the leftovers into it. Then, cover the food with some dirt and moist paper. Don’t leave the food exposed as you’ll only attract fruit flies

Each week, take note of what the worms like and what they don’t. If you see some scraps that have been there for a while, take them out and replace them with food that they have devoured. Put the lid back on the compost bin and then repeat the cycle a week later.

It’s really as simple as that. Now that you’ve mastered the art of composting, you’ll need to make sure you maintain the compost bin to keep it in top shape.

Maintaining your compost bin

The reason you drilled holes into the bottom of the inside container is to allow for drainage. Over time water will collect in the outside container which you’ll need to empty. Take a look every few weeks to see how much liquid is draining and scoop it out. Don’t throw this away though, as it’s nutrient-rich. Place it in one of your pot plants to give them an injection of life.

When the bin fills up with compost, you’ll need to do the following:

1. Place food on one side of the bin for a few weeks. This will attract the worms to that side. Leave the other side empty.
2. Once all the worms have moved to one side, scoop out the compost on the other side and use it to feed your indoor plants (or you could place some in bags to gift your friends or family). If you find you are scooping out worms, put the compost on some paper and sort through it to replace the worms. It’s a bit of a messy job though.
3. If you find that there are too many worms in your bin, you’ll need to release some of them into the wild! Add them to a garden along with some of the compost for them to adapt to their new home.

Are your worms escaping?

If you find that your worms are making their way out of the compost bin (they can be sneaky like that), then you’ve probably got an issue with their environment. It could be one of the following reasons:

• You may be smothering them with bedding. When placing them in the compost bin, do so on top of the mixture and let them dig their own way down.
• The mixture may be too wet or compacted. If this happens, gentle mix up the mixture to loosen it a bit. Be careful not to damage any of the worms while you’re doing this.
• There could be too much undigested food in your compost bin. If you give them more scraps than they can handle, they may try to bust out of there. If you do have more food to give them than they can handle, store it in your freezer for when they’ve made more progress.

Compost bin tips:

1. It’s all about preparation. Take careful note of our steps above when setting up your indoor compost bin. 
2. Keep a small scoop next to the bin to make mixing and adding a lot easier.
3. Make sure you add the right food to the compost bin. As we’ve mentioned above, there are some items you can’t add in.
4. If the bin begins to have a foul odor, there may be too much nitrogen in the mix or it’s too wet. Check both of these.
5. Have a backup compost bin for when yours becomes too full. As we’ve mentioned above, compost makes a great gift for a friend or family member.
6. Consider exactly what you are going to do with your compost when it’s ready.

So there you have it, all you need to create your very own compost bin in your apartment. If you follow our steps above, you’ll have high-quality, nutrient-rich compost in no time. 

As we’ve mentioned, having a compost bin in your home is great for the environment. It’s also really rewarding to create your own compost and to watch the entire process, from adding the kitchen leftovers into the bin, watching the worms do their work, to finally adding the nutrient-right black gold to your indoor plants.

As you can see, it’s a really simple process, it doesn’t take much time and it won’t cost you an arm and a leg to make. In fact, you’ll save money in the long run by not having to buy any more compost for your indoor plants.

We hope this guide helps you in your journey to create compost in the apartment. Good luck!