Collecting food waste for your home or office garden can reduce food waste and lead to lower carbon emissions by not sending this waste to a\u00a0landfill. There are some general guidelines on what to, and not to, compost, as far as what comes from the kitchen. A later article will cover what happens once the compost leaves the kitchen and is moved to the garden area and put in bins. It should also be stated that this writing talks explicitly about compost from the kitchen to the garden, not to the municipal waste, which may have different parameters, depending on where you live. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 1: What to include in the compost bin from my kitchen? \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The first thing to do when considering collecting compost is to make sure you understand what can be composted. The main things that you can compost are fruit and vegetable waste, such as skins or cores. You can also compost fruit or veggies that you were going to send to a landfill because it\u2019s about to go bad\u2014the purpose of composting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Egg shells (crushed) can also be composted. According to Michigan State University\u2019s Extension<\/a>, the hot composting process, where temperatures can reach over 140-160 degrees Fahrenheit, can kill salmonella bacteria.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coffee grounds and paper filters can also be tossed into the compost bin in your kitchen, as well as paper tea bags (don\u2019t include the staples). <\/p>\n\n\n\n NOTE: Before we move on, it\u2019s best to note that, again, you\u2019re essentially collecting your compost from the food waste mentioned above. The process will be completed outside, which is not covered in this writing. There are also things like grass clippings and yard trim that can be collected outside (more later). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Step 2: What should I not compost?<\/em> \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n