This article is from the “Balcony Compost Newsletter (Compost This!)” Please use the form on the right to sign up for the semi-monthly newsletter if you thought this information was helpful

A major deterrent many people have about composting is smell. Understandable! We’ve all had kitchen scraps composting in our garbage bins creating a smell that leaves you gagging. Please keep in mind:

Your compost should not smell!

Don’t get me wrong. Compost, like anything else, can be done improperly. Why not take these easy steps to keep your compost smelling foresty fresh:

• Make sure your compost is only moist. Soggy wet compost can smell like a soggy gym sock.
• Don’t add meat or cheese.
• Make sure your compost is well aerated. If it’s packed down, mix it up and allow air through.
• Compost thrives on a good mix of green and brown components. A lot of green components can be smelly, including the majority of your kitchen scraps. Add more brown to suck up moisture and smells. Here’s a list of some good urban browns: shredded newspaper; toilet paper & paper towel rolls; rice; dryer lint; vacuum cleaner sweepings; coffee filters; tissue.

Posted on Wednesday, May 28th, 2008 at 8:44 am under Newsletter, Questions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.