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Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under.

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Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under. Get Started

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Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under. Get Started

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Food Chains - Elementary Science Lesson Plan - Food Chains - Flocabulary

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Parts of a Plant - Elementary Science Lesson Plan - Parts of Plant - Flocabulary

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Bacteria - Bacteria Video - Bacteria Lesson - Flocabulary

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Learn about bacteria, unicellular prokaryotes, with Flocabulary's educational hip-hop song, video and lesson resources.

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How to compost: Start composting at home with tips from experts

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How to compost: Start composting at home with tips from experts

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Our editors independently selected these items because we think you will enjoy them and might like them at these prices. If you purchase something through our links, we may earn a commission. Pricing and availability are accurate as of publish time. Learn more about Shop TODAY.

As we approach the end of Earth Month, we're all feeling inspired to change our lifestyles for the better. Maybe you're seeking out eco-friendly beauty products or vowing to use reusable bags instead of paper or plastic. If you want to take your conservation to the next level, though, we recommend composting at home.

The rules for composting seem convoluted to beginners, but it's actually extremely easy to get started. Incorporating this habit into your daily routine just takes food scraps and a receptacle to keep them - along with a little bit of time.

When food scraps end up in landfills, it eventually transforms into methane gas as it decomposes. When materials are composted and put back into the earth, though, it allows the soil to hold more water, adds essentials nutrients and beneficial bacterias to the ground and can even draw carbon out of the atmosphere. Along with lowering the amount of methane emissions from landfills, composting also lessens the need for chemical fertilizers.

First, you'll need a place to compost. We recommend getting a compost bin for all of your scraps. If you live in an area with a backyard, you can also opt to section off a piece of your yard for a compost pile.

Composts are comprised of two types of materials: a "brown" carbon source and a "green" nitrogen source. Green sources include food scraps, grass and plant trimmings; while brown sources are things like dead leaves, paper and mulch.

"Ultimately, there's no wrong way to compost," says Quinn Metoyer, founder of the Miami Compost Project. Simply place both green and brown materials in your pile and Mother Nature does the rest. If your compost starts to smell or is too moist or dry, add more brown material and make sure to aerate (or turn) your compost every once in a while.

If you don't have the space or time to compost, Metoyer recommends finding resources in your community where you can bring your food scraps. "You can still divert some of your food from the landfill by dropping off your compost at a drop-off site," he says.

Kate Jaceldo, founder of Compost Queens in San Antonio, Texas, answered this question simply and effectively for us: "Anything that comes from the earth." Think along the lines of plant-based food scraps or paper products like coffee filters and paper towel rolls. For at-home composts, Jaceldo recommends staying away from meat and dairy products because of outside scavengers and pathogens. She also recommends cutting your scraps into small pieces to help it break down faster, since the time it takes for each food item to decompose varies.

"Composting is an art more than a science," says Jaceldo. "Play with what you've got and monitor the process." When you're ready, use your compost in your garden, bury it in your backyard or take it to a nearby community garden.

So, what are you waiting for? Grab a bin and check out our other helpful products below.

Bokashi bran flakes not only ferment food scraps, but they also help speed up the decomposition process. With this natural starter, Jaceldo says you can compost meat and dairy because the fermentation makes these items unappetizing to critters and creatures.

This lightweight tool makes turning and aerating your compost extremely easy, resulting in richer, faster decomposition. The ergonomically designed handle lets you dig deep down into your compost bin or pile, which allows more oxygen to hit every part of your recycled materials.

Taking the temperature of your compost can help you track the health and decomposition rate of your pile. Higher temperatures cause increased levels of decomposition, however, extremely high temperatures over 160 degrees Fahrenheit obstructs microbial activity. This thermometer can also be used for gardening and other agricultural applications.

Your outdoor compost might attract some organisms - and that's a good thing! Worms are a sign of healthy soil, and in return, they keep your soil healthy. Worm blankets help create a dark, moist and aerated environment for your worms to flourish.
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Confused about composting? Here's how to get started

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How to Start Going Zero Waste: 7 Steps for Beginners

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How to Start Going Zero Waste: 7 Steps for Beginners

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By Sophie Hirsh

Apr. 20 2021, Published 9:08 a.m. ET

If you're curious about the zero-waste lifestyle, you've come to the right place. Green Matters is filled with tips to help you start going zero waste in every area of your life, so you can do something every day to show your love for planet Earth.

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And don't worry, going zero waste is much easier than it sounds - it's a process that can bring you so much joy, do so much good for the planet, and, contrary to popular belief, is not about being perfect. So keep reading to learn more about the zero-waste lifestyle, and for our beginner's guide to transitioning to a zero-waste or low-impact lifestyle.

What is zero waste?

Those living a zero-waste lifestyle try to reduce their trash output and consumption of single-use plastic in every area of their life, instead choosing reusable, sustainably-made, and eco-friendly alternatives. The lifestyle is not about perfection - it's just about significantly reducing your trash and overall environmental impact.

In addition to tackling physical waste, many zero-wasters also opt to primarily shop for clothes and other goods from secondhand shops; support sustainable, fair-trade brands; eat plant-based diets, and take low-emission modes of transportation. The movement to holistically focus on all aspects of one's environmental impact (rather than just trash and plastic) has inspired many to refer to themselves as low impact instead of zero waste.

How to start going zero waste:

Here are our top seven tips to begin your zero-waste journey. And remember, there's no pressure - start with what seems doable and enjoyable, and work your way up.

1. Look through your trash.

Ask any zero waster what the first step should be on your zero-waste journey, and they'll probably tell you to conduct a trash audit. Simply look through your trash can and recycling bins, and note what you are throwing away the most frequently. This will help you learn what areas of waste you should tackle first.

2. Start composting.

You can also check your municipality's website to see if they offer any composting services, whether that means a service can pick it up from your home, or taking your compost to a drop-off point. To avoid your indoor compost smelling, consider keeping it in a container in the freezer.

3. Grocery shop intelligently.

When looking through your trash, you'll probably notice a lot of food packaging. There are a few ways to remedy this. Instead of buying packaged items like rice, nuts, and oats, shop for these items from bulk bins, if you have a local grocery store that offers bulk shopping. Make sure to bring your own bags for any loose bulk purchases - here's our guide to shopping in the grocery store's bulk section.

We also have a guide for zero-waste grocery shopping for items that are not available in bulk, or for if your store doesn't have a bulk section. Basically, focus on "naked" items like produce (which you can stash in reusable produce bags rather than plastic ones), as well as products packaged in paper, glass, or aluminum as opposed to plastic.

Grocery shopping is also a great area to focus on shopping locally, since the reduced shipping distance will come with a lower environmental impact - consider perusing your local farmers market, where most of the food is grown locally.

4. When products run out, buy sustainable replacements.

When it comes to items you buy less frequently, such as cosmetics, personal hygiene products, and cleaning products, we recommend using up what you have, and once they are nearly empty, buying zero-waste, sustainable replacements. For example, when you run out of paper towels (most of which are compostable, BTW!), switch to reusable hand towels and rags, and when you run out of makeup remover wipes, switch to a reusable facial rounds.

5. Always be prepared.

When it comes to producing zero waste on the go, always being prepared is key. Consider putting together a DIY zero-waste kit that you can keep in your backpack or car when you are out for the day - we recommend always keeping a reusable tote bag, water bottle, cloth napkin, cutlery, and food container on hand, as well as a reusable cup and straw if you're a coffee drinker. That way, you'll easily be able to prevent yourself from accumulating disposable products throughout the day.

6. Eat more whole plant foods.

The zero-waste movement tends to focus on the trash we see - but most items we use have produced a lot of invisible waste, pollution, and emissions before they arrive in our hands. A great example of this is animal products like meat, dairy, and eggs.

The process of breeding, raising, and slaughtering cows, chickens, fish, and pigs uses far more water, land, and plants (animal feed) and produces much more emissions than plant-based foods. A landmark 2018 University of Oxford study actually found that ditching meat and dairy is actually the most impactful thing people can do to reduce their environmental impact - so it's no surprise that so many zero-wasters also follow plant-based diets.

Plus, whole plant foods (such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains) are usually some of the easiest foods to score package-free at the grocery store.

7. Get into thrifting.

Another industry with a lot of invisible waste is fashion - raising animals for fabrics like leather, silk, and wool is responsible for immense waste; growing cotton has a higher footprint than many people realize; and synthetic fabrics like polyester are made from fossil fuels. Plus, wasted fabric, unsustainable dyes, and inhumane working conditions are also rampant issues in the fashion industry.

To combat the wasteful nature of fast fashion, many zero wasters get into thrifting - by shopping for clothing secondhand, you are reducing the demand for new clothes to be made, and you're rescuing clothes from the waste stream that would have otherwise been discarded. This applies to areas other than clothing, too. You can buy almost anything secondhand, from electronics to home goods to baby items.

There's no right or wrong way to go zero waste - everyone's journey is different. And remember, every action makes a difference, so don't focus on being perfectly zero waste - producing a little trash is inevitable, and you don't need a trash jar to be zero waste.

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How to Start Going Zero Waste: 7 Steps for Beginners

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By Sophie Hirsh Apr. 20 2021, Published 9:08 a.m. ET If you're curious about the zero-waste lifestyle, you've come to the right place. Green Matters is filled with tips to help you start going zero waste in every area of your life, so you can do something every day to show your love for planet Earth.

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How to Compost: Your Guide to Composting at Home With or Without a Yard

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How to Compost: Your Guide to Composting at Home With or Without a Yard

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Stephania Stanley / TODAY

Your trash actually might be treasure - in an environmental sense, that is.

According to the EPA, food and yard waste makes up about 30% of what we throw away. But through a process called composting, you can recycle all of that waste into a rich, organic material that can be used as a plant fertilizer to help your garden grow.

Composting is not only good for the environment (taking this material out of landfills can help reduce the amount of methane released in the air), but it's also a fun project for your home - just ask Al Roker! You can do it in your yard if you have one or even in your apartment kitchen.

"When you see it done firsthand, it's addicting," said Justin Young, director of nutrition education for High Plains Food Bank in Amarillo, Texas. He and his wife have been composting for years, both at home and for work, where they run the garden for the food bank. Seeing that a huge chunk of America's waste is food product, composting is something that Young encourages everyone to try.

Stephania Stanley / TODAY

Interested in giving it a go? Here's what you need to know about the process:

How to compost in your yard

"If you're going to be composting outside, talk to your neighbors if you think they'll have problem with it," Young said. Sometimes there is a smell, although if you're tending to it properly, there shouldn't an odor.

"You can also see if they'd be interested in doing it with you," he said. "You can benefit more by working with the people around you." For example, if you have a lot of carbon-rich yard waste and not enough nitrogen-rich food waste, it could mess up the ratio (we'll get to that in a minute), making it harder for it to compost.

Stephania Stanley / TODAY

You can buy a composting bin at your local garden center or there are some cool ideas online for creating your own, Young suggested.

"Just make sure you have proper ventilation," he said. "Otherwise, you could kill off the bacteria that's needed for the process." He also advises not to put the bin anywhere near pests, such as next to an abandoned house.

An easy way to remember this step is there are green and brown layers and you're going to want to alternate between the two.

Green refers to things that are high in nitrogen, so your plant-based kitchen scraps, grass, weeds, etc.

Brown refers to things that are carbon-based, so dead leaves, wood chips, straw, etc.

"You'll read about a million different ratios people suggest," Young said. "But you can make this process as fast or slow as you want by using different ratios of materials. The more diversity of materials you use, the better."

He and his wife teach people to do a simple 50-50 ratio - putting a green layer, then a brown layer - and keeping it moist with water (it should feel like a wrung-out sponge). Keep a small composting pail on your kitchen counter and add scraps daily to the pile outside, making sure to cover them with a layer of brown on top to avoid attracting pests.

One note: Beginners should avoid adding meats and dairy to the pile as pests and odor could be a problem if it's not the right temperature. Also bread takes too long to compost and can attract critters. Start small with fruits and vegetables.

Once you build the pile - with the right ratio of carbon, nitrogen, air and water - it will start to heat up. "You can either just keep checking it or put a meat thermometer in there to watch the temperature climb," Young said, adding that it should get up to 140 to 160 degrees. "When the temperature starts to fall, stir it and it'll heat up again." Keep repeating this process. (Hint: This is where a spinning compost bin might come in handy.)
5. Harvest it
When the pile stops heating up, it should look like dirt - dark brown and crumbly with an earthy smell (so ... not like food waste anymore). That means it's finished. Highly managed systems, such as the Berkeley method, can be complete as soon as 18 days or if you just let it pile it up and wait, it can range from months to a year depending on the content.

Stephania Stanley / TODAY

How to compost without a yard

1. Check for city-sponsored programs

Many places, including New York City, San Francisco and Boston, have a community compost program where the city will provide bins to drop off your scraps. If you're doing this, get a small composting bin for your kitchen and use special compostable bags (such as BioBags) to line the container.

2. Buy or make your own compost bin

Stephania Stanley / TODAY

There are many options for composting in your apartment - no yard required.

The Internet is filled with apartment-appropriate composting options, including this EcoCrock bin and this OXO Good Grips bin. Here's a DIY guide for creating your own using a container, some soil and newspaper. And if you're feeling really brave, you can create one with composting worms, which Young and his wife do at home.

"Start small and go slow," Young said about this method. "It's really easy to go online and see a special on 50 pounds of worms and get excited, but you want to figure out how your system is going to fit into your lifestyle," he said, adding that you can always increase the number of worms later on. One more note about the red wigglers, as they're called: Young says they don't like spicy things, so hold back from feeding them things like jalapenos, garlic or onions.

3. Use bin contents for indoor plants or take them to your community compost center

You have a few options as to how you can use the contents.

Once a week, you can take your bin to your community compost center to empty it out. Compost created at the community bins often goes to parks, gardens and other public areas where you and those around you can enjoy the fruits of your labor!

If you prefer to use the compost yourself, then you'll need to wait for the waste to turn into soil. At that point, feel free to add it to your plant pots.

Stephania Stanley / TODAY

The bottom line? There are so many different variations of composting, and you'll find the best method for you once you jump in and start trying it. Not only is it a fun way of working together as a family, but you'll also be helping out the environment and making nutrients for your own plants or a local community garden.
Take the #OneGreenThing pledge: What's the one green thing you'll try to help the planet this month? This story was originally published on April 20, 2016 This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

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How to Compost: Your Guide to Composting at Home With or Without a Yard

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Your trash actually might be treasure - in an environmental sense, that is. According to the EPA, food and yard waste makes up about 30% of what we throw away. But through a process called composting, you can recycle all of that waste into a rich, organic material that can be used as a plant fertilizer to help your garden grow.

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that your group discovers in this column.  Be sure to add the link in the "sideways paperclip".

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Use Canva to design your Infographic about Composting

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Canva is a free-to-use online graphic design tool. Use it to create social media posts, presentations, posters, videos, logos and more.

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Learn about composting in this video from WyomingPBS Compost Worms, and then set up composting bins and make observations. LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Students will understand how decomposers are important in the movement of matter. Students will learn how decomposers (worms) recycle organic waste that was once energy from the sun back into the soil.