Learn all about composting: Find out how to do it, its benefits and how to use it!

The amount of trash we produce every day is staggering. That's about 380 kilos of trash per person every year. New strategies are being applied to try to reduce the impact of trash generation on Earth, one of them is composting. If you want to know what composting is and how to do it at home, check it out below!

What is composting?

Composting is defined as a form of recycling, in this case, the recycling of solid organic waste, such as food scraps, fruit peels, vegetables, coffee grounds, leaves, dry branches and other organic materials.

In this way, all this material is stored in a place protected from the entry of animals, and during this period the organic matter decomposes through bacteria, fungi and even earthworms.

Therefore, composting is considered a sustainable technique for preserving the environment and reducing environmental impact , and can be easily applied indoors, taking up little space and without the need for constant care, since composting involves the decomposition of matter naturally.

Types of composting

Basically, we can divide composting into 2 main types. They are divided according to the way in which the organic matter is decomposed. They are:

Dry composting

This type of composting does not use any accelerators to degrade organic matter. In this way, only the bacteria and fungi present in the food itself are used to decompose it and generate waste. For this reason, this type of composting is slower.

Vermicomposting

In this case, composting is accelerated through the use of worms. These worms are responsible for transforming organic matter into compost waste. Because they are living beings, they reproduce and create an entire ecosystem within the compost bin.

What does composting produce and how to use it?

We previously talked about composting waste. The two most important wastes are the solid compost itself, the result of degradation, and the worm feces. This is known as humus and is like a kind of moist, earthy fertilizer.

Humus can be used directly on plants to enrich the soil, providing a range of nutrients that will make the plant grow healthy and strong.

The other compound generated through composting is its liquid. It is common for compost bins to have a support underneath for removing the liquid. This liquid is also an important fertilizer, although much more concentrated.

Therefore, to use it, it must be diluted in water in a proportion of 1:10, and it cannot be used frequently.

Benefits of composting

As we mentioned earlier, composting can be done at home using a composter, which is a simple piece of equipment that can be built manually. Here are some of the benefits of composting:

• Recycling of organic material;
• Reduction of waste that is thrown in the common trash and ends up in landfills;
• Sustainable lifestyle;
• Reduction in costs for transporting and treating organic waste;
• Generation of fertilizer rich in nutrients that provide soil enrichment;
• Reduction in the use of chemical fertilizers;
• Possibility of producing food at home;
• Reduction of bad odors generated by the accumulation of organic waste at home (the compost bin does not generate bad odors);
• Source of income for those who want to sell worm humus.

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