It is actually easy to compost if you do not have a yard or your yard is shared with another tenant averse to the idea of composting. Find a place, such as a balcony or the area under your kitchen sink where you would like to create a compost box. Use a worm composting bin or a closed container, such as a trashcan or plastic box. If you decide to use a container and tarp, punch holes in the bottom of the container and place the tarp underneath to contain leaks and spills. Spread soil with red worms (other worms, such as night crawlers are not useful in composting) and dry bedding [leaves, shredded newspaper (no color photos), grass clippings, etc.] on the bottom of the container. Mix in more soil and bedding every two weeks to refresh the microbe supply and help the decay of material happen more quickly. Add more dry bedding if the container begins to develop a smell or to leak. Lastly, have another compost box ready. When the first compost box becomes full, transfer the soil-like compost to the new box which can then be used as a fertilizer in a personal garden or a potted plant or can be donated as fertilizer to friends with gardens or other places that use fertilizer often. If you have an immediate use for the compost, you do not need a second bin. Red worms are not native to northeast Ohio so make sure to freeze, if possible, your compost before use as fertilizer so the worms do not cause harm to the environment.

You can find worms and worm composting bins as well as other resources for composting at http://www.wormwoman.com/. Another source of information is Mary Appelhof’s book, Worms Eat My Garbage.