Composting: On Going Brown

In a world where every product or necessity imaginable is short-lived and disposable, it can be a challenge to cut back on one’s personal waste contribution. But according to some, the second of the three good Rs is not only possible but quite easy. Reusing some of the most ironic materials, such as rotting food, cuts down on garbage, can substitute out plant poisons, and puts unused nutrients back into a place in the Earth’s crust which, amazingly enough, is not a landfill! The Browns live in a log cabin surrounded by flower, vegetable and even indigenous brushwood gardens. They are avid conservationists and it is safe to say that their lifestyle goes far beyond the average and all-too-often, self-delusional “greenness” of trend-following do-gooders who make up an unfortunate plurality of the environmentally aware. On the far side of their garage is a bizarre cylindrical contraption about the size of a furnace. An opening at both the top and bottom not unlike trap doors are usually kept shut via latches, and there is a crank on one flat side. It is a composter.

The possible materials to compost range from vegetables and apple cores to eggshells and grass clippings. According to the Browns, practically anything can be composted that is organic and biodegradable, including dairy products, bones and meat, but it should be noted that these products should only be composted at one’s own discretion; they have been known to attract animals such as possums, raccoons and bears. While no one really enjoys dealing with garbage, this is also the reason we usually hire someone to pick it up and dump it in the nearest landfill. Actually, composting is a surprisingly easy—and rewarding!—process, which requires only as much work, time or materials as a person is willing to give, although it may be more difficult in the suburbs where close-dwelling neighbors might be offended. “Usually people have some sort of a bin,” Mrs. Brown says. “It starts in the kitchen.” A small countertop container holds compostable materials and can be taken to the larger, outdoor compost area at the end of the day when the container is full. She adds that, while her family has a sophisticated composter outside, anything can be used for one, be it just a larger bin, or even a patch of ground.