Enclosed Composting For small-scale apartment composting, enclosed Bins are an option. The least expensive method is to build one yourself from a hallway closet in your apartment. Simply drill 1.5-cm aeration holes in rows at roughly 15-cm intervals around the closet. Line the closet with large trash bags or plastic sheets from the hardware store, block the lower part of the door with 1”by 12” pine boards(you can scavenge these from your fence or from a dumpster. Fill the prepared closet with a mixture of high-carbon and high-nitrogen materials. Stir the contents occasionally to avoid anaerobic pockets and to speed up the composting process.
What to Compost Material Carbon/Nitrogen Info table scraps Nitrogen add with dry carbon items fruit & vegetable scraps Nitrogen add with dry carbon items eggshells neutral best when crushed leaves Carbon leaves break down faster when shredded grass clippings Nitrogen add in thin layers so they don't mat into clumps garden plants -- use disease-free plants only lawn & garden weeds Nitrogen only use weeds which have not gone to seed shrub prunings Carbon woody prunings are slow to break down straw or hay Carbon straw is best; hay (with seeds) is less ideal green comfrey leaves Nitrogen excellent compost 'activator' pine needles Carbon acidic; use in moderate amounts flowers, cuttings Nitrogen chop up any long woody stems seaweed and kelp Nitrogen rinse first; good source for trace minerals wood ash Carbon only use ash from clean materials; sprinkle lightly chicken manure Nitrogen excellent compost 'activator' coffee grounds Nitrogen filters may also be included tea leaves Nitrogen loose or in bags newspaper Carbon avoid using glossy paper and colored inks shredded paper Carbon avoid using glossy paper and colored inks cardboard Carbon shred material to avoid matting corn cobs, stalks Carbon slow to decompose; best if chopped up dryer lint Carbon best if from natural fibers sawdust Carbon high carbon levels; add in layers to avoid clumping wood chips Carbon high carbon levels; use sparingly
~ Activate your compost. 'Activators' can be added to your compost to help kick-start the process and speed up composting. Common compost activator materials are: comfrey leaves, grass clippings, young weeds, well-rotted chicken manure. Mix in well and add one half gallon of water (don’t worry it gets absorbed into the mix
You are now ready to start helping the environment, in just four to six weeks your compost will be ready to take to your local Park or vacant lot to revive the top soil layer and help the earth recover