How to Make an Indoor Compost Container
There are a few benefits to making your own indoor compost container. Composting is an environmentally friendly way to recycle vegetable and fruit scraps, and yard waste. Compost worms transform your waste into a highly nutritious soil that can be used in your home garden. Composting also cuts down on the amount of garbage you throw away. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Purchase a simple 10-gallon plastic container from a store (make sure that it can be sealed with a lid). Using an electric drill and the smallest bit available, drill three tiny holes in the lid, two on each side and three on the bottom of the container. These holes allow excess moisture to escape the compost container, and makes it harder for small insects, like fruit flies, to get into the compost's decomposing waste.
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Tear up pieces of newspaper and lightly crumple them. Fill the container approximately halfway with these newspaper scraps. Put your waste on top of the newspaper. Waste includes parts of fruits or vegetables, egg shells and yard waste, like dead flowers or plants, branches and leaves.
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Add red wiggler worms to the compost container. Over the course of a few days they will break down the waste, turning it into nutrient-rich soil. Don't add things like moldy food, candy, fish, chips, poultry or any citrus fruits, like lemons, limes and oranges. A 10-gallon container will hold 500 to 1,000 worms.
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Use a shovel or large spoon to mix the compost container (do this once a week). This will make sure that the worms get to all of the available waste. If the decomposing food becomes too wet or squishy, add more newspaper (for extra absorption). If done properly, compost will not stink, so you can keep the compost container in a kitchen pantry or under a sink. Store the container in a place that doesn't get much direct sunlight.
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Tips & Warnings
Used coffee filters and grounds can be added to the compost container. Both the grounds and the filters are safe for worms, as long as too many coffee grounds aren't added in one week as it could make the compost acidic.
Avoid putting non-edible material, like glass, rubber, aluminum, sponges, plastic or any other non-biodegradable items, in the compost container.
