Making compost in the city is possible

Published: 12/14/2006 - Updated: 02/23/2018

Thanks to an urban composter, anyone can do "humus" in their apartment occupying a small space and without odors or maintenance costs. Compostadores.com t includes in its line an urban composter that allows recycling the organic matter generating plant for any home fertilizer for indoor plants, balcony or terrace. A practice that benefits the environment because it reduces the volume of waste being transported to landfills and incinerators, and avoiding using chemical fertilizers. 40% of the waste generated daily by a house can be composted. This is a good tool for environmental education of children.

Matter transforming

Composted organic matter is subject to a process for obtaining natural fertilizer, compost. In a composter, natural cycle is reproduced. In the woods, the leaves from trees, pieces of branches, animal droppings, grass … become a stage of decomposition in which many elements are involved, such as water, heat, cold, different species that live … transformed into "humus", spongy dark soil with smell of the forest and it is a good food for the plant species, which in turn feed the animals.

Urban composter

Composting has always been done, but so far in the city, it was very difficult to replicate this process, since not everyone has a garden with soil. Now, thanks to urban composter, you can reduce waste and produce organic fertilizer at home without any maintenance or odors. It can be placed anywhere in the house (in the kitchen or balcony), occupying a minimum space. This is a container where worms eat organic residues and make it humus. This consists of four levels. A base that has four legs and where the waste liquid is collected and can be drawn through a tap. Above this base are placed three more trays with small holes in the base and is a perfect fit on the other.

Cyclic Operation

The first tray, which rests on the base, places the worms and the waste generated at home. Above, there are other trays and lid. Once the first bin is full, the following wastes are put into the second tray, which is just above the one with the worms. These animals, once they have finished eating the remains of the first tray, climb through the holes in the second search of food, thereby allowing the compost in the first tray to be used. Once you remove the "humus" of the first tray, the blank is placed above the composter. As the worms are eating and rising the tray, this would generate liquid fertilizer that can be used diluted with water to water house plants.

Maintenance

You should only feed the worms with organic waste plants, remove the debris once a week and moisten it a little to prevent drying. You can put all the remains of house plants: skin of fruit, vegetable leftovers or soup and salad leaves of plants. But fish, meat or bones, diseased plants and fruits and lots of rotting vegetables must not be used. Neither human nor animal droppings or dust or ash from treated wood. Depending on the amount of debris that is placed, the compost may take a month or three to be done, but constantly you get fertilizer liquid.

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2 Replies to “Making compost in the city is possible”
  • Xavier says:

    Wow, that it amazing, I will search the website right now, I hope to see that these can be send to other countries because I am really looking forward to have it! Sound like a very good idea and you and your house gain too, not only saving the planet but helping the plants and more!

  • Stacy says:

    GREAT article!! I am so so SO glad to see people promoting composting even withing “confined’ spaces. A lot of people use living in an apartment as an excuse for not composting, which I think is totally bogus. I had a big box of dirt on my apartment patio for years, and I would throw in kitchen scraps and rotate it frequently. No odors, no pests attracted, and I could then use it on the potted plants I grew in my windows and on the patio.