Tips for composting in your kitchen

PORTLAND, Ore. (KPTV) - Recology, which processes the compost in the Portland area, offered these tips for composting in your kitchen. FOX 12 visited their facility to discuss ways people could reduce food waste that is increasing nationwide.

Place a used paper napkin in the bottom of your kitchen compost pail. Then place your egg shells, banana peels, coffee grounds, and other food scraps inside. A used paper napkin is food-soiled paper, which is accepted in curbside food scrap collection programs for composting. The used paper napkin will absorb moisture and help control odor.

Then once a day, before you go to bed, empty your kitchen compost pail into your green curbside composting collection bin.

Some people have a false phobia that composting will make their kitchen smell. In fact, using a kitchen compost pail reduces odor in your kitchen because you isolate anything that might smell in one container and you empty it once a day. No more garbage mixed together under the kitchen sink.

Researchers studied the different ways to get people to compost. Researchers identified these two actions as most effective:

1. Show people pictures and video highlighting how local farms use compost and how applying compost helps improve soil health and grow healthy crops.

2. Teach kids about composting via school gardens.

Student comes home and says, ‘Hey mom, hey dad, we compost at school why don’t we compost at home?’ The next day dad places a kitchen compost pail on the kitchen counter. That’s changing human behavior.