Could we get a composting bin ?

Recycling waste starts with sorting outThis is the question I am currently asking myself often as I discard every day my used tea leaves – I drink around a litre of tea every single day – and other fruit skin and peel as well as other compostable stuff into my refuse bin.

As I have been sorting out my waste for nearly twenty years, it has been part of my daily life and would have a hard time NOT sorting my stuff. (It only was the case for a year, when I lived in Dublin back to 2004/5)

So I have three bins in my place : one for the glass, one for what can be recycled – cartons, papers and metal cans – and the third for everything else.

Having a look at it, I have to say a lot of what is thrown away could be composted. But there is a catch : I don’t want to compost that junk personally.

I am not really sure I want a composting bin in my place or on my tiny balcony and would have nothing to do with the end-product as I don’t have a garden, or for that matter, any plants.

So, I just wish I could throw away in a special bioplastic bag all the stuff that could be composted. Then the bags would be collected just as the other bags.

(I have to note at this point that the city of Valenciennes collects floral and grass clippings and leaves from gardening…)

To conclude today’s article, here is a nifty and convenient list of what you can compost I found on Save That Stuff :

  • All food waste including:
    • bones and fat trimmings
    • dairy products
    • eggshells
    • fruits and vegetables
    • meat, poultry and seafood
    • rice
    • beans
    • pasta
    • spoiled food
  • All food soiled non-recyclable paper including:
    • coffee grounds and filters
    • paper napkins and towels
    • paperboard and other cereal box-type material
    • tea bags
    • wet or waxed cardboard
  • Other materials including:
    • floral and grass clippings
    • leaves
    • weeds
    • biodegradable liner bags made from cornstarch
    • biodegradable containers, dishware and utensils

Imagine if all this was collected in apartment buildings, houses and other major facilities (restaurants, companies with in-house canteens, hospitals…). A lot of stuff could be composted and equally large amounts of food could be grown locally.

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