A company called Nature Mill manufactures a composting unit that fits nicely in your kitchen, and uses only 10 watts of power, or about $0.65/month (at my electricity rates). It can compost most everything in the kitchen, including shredded paper (that’s what I can do with my old receipts that I shred!), meats and dairy, and excepting highly acidic citrus foods (and a few others). It has an air filter so that it doesn’t generate a smell, and produces around 10 lbs of compost every two weeks, depending on how much you put in.
I’ve been looking for a composting solution for a long time. Outdoor ones are too large for my current garden, and I certainly can’t maintain a pile in my front yard. The reason I’ve been so keen to find something is that most of my trash by weight is kitchen waste, and I’m throwing it into a landfill needlessly. There, it will be digested by methanogenic bacteria, creating methane as a byproduct. If my waste is sent to a large landfill, the methane will be flared off, perhaps being used to generate electricity. I currently pay extra each month to assure that I get 1000 kwh of electricity from such methane burning. But, if sent to a small landfill, my kitchen waste will end up as methane in the atmosphere. As methane, it will be far more harmful than if it had been broken down by aerobic (air-breathing) bacteria that produce simple carbon dioxide and water as a byproduct.
Because our government is paralyzed to make any beneficial environmental changes right now (and has been truly for the last 25 years), my personal choices are what keep up my optimism of a green future. By allowing me to share those choices with others, perhaps the internet will enable true grassroots environmental change.
