Smelly Composting: Dealing With Compost Bin Odors
Some people are reluctant to try composting on even a small scale, because they’re afraid of the smell. Having a very stinky compost bin or pail is particularly problematic for anyone living in a small space, such as a city apartment which doesn’t have a yard.
Kitchen composting is usually the most problematic where smells are concerned, but even those of us who do have yards can have the smelly compost problem though. If you create a compost pile outside and you have neighbors near enough to be able to smell any stench that may come off of it, you could get complaints made to your local town or city.
Thankfully there are many easy and simple ways to keep a compost pile or bin from smelling badly though. All you really need to do is make sure you’ve mixed in enough “brown” materials.
Composting is usually done with a combination of green and brown organic materials. Green materials are often added in the form of kitchen fruit and vegetable scraps and fresh grass clippings. Brown materials are usually a dryer organic material, and these help absorb excess moisture in the compost pile while also neutralizing offensive smells and odors.
Adding brown materials such as newspaper is one of the best ways to neutralize compost bin smells
The easiest way to add brown materials to your compost bin is to simply toss in paper frequently. You can shred the paper so that it breaks down at a much faster rate, or you can simply toss it in as is and let nature take care of it on its own schedule.
Any type of standard paper can be tossed into the compost pile, bin, or bucket. Newspaper, paper towels, napkins, paper junk mail and envelopes, and even cardboard. All of these materials help make your compost that much richer in the end, and they help cut down on odors while everything is decomposing too.
Another excellent brown material that will help reduce and eliminate smells from your compost pile is dry leaves. These are usually plentiful in the autumn, so just scoop them up and put them aside to use throughout the year. Add handfuls of leaves as needed to cut down on the smell.
Other excellent materials that help stop compost piles and buckets from smelling include sawdust, coffee grounds, and tea bags. Sawdust is particularly useful for composting toilets.
Other ways to help keep the smell of your compost bucket minimized, particularly in the kitchen, is to keep a tightly sealed lid on top. Some people have reported having more success with leaving the compost bucket lid loose however, since this lets air circulate better and allows moisture to evaporate.
Other tips include emptying the bucket frequently, and washing the bucket each time you empty it. Be careful what you wash your compost bucket with though, because if it’s toxic you could taint the entire compost pile each time you add new materials to it.
When you buy a brand new compost bucket or bin, the best approach is to line it with paper or leaves before adding any other organic materials. This will help keep your compost pail cleaner, and it will start provide you with odor neutralizing materials right from the start.
After emptying your compost bucket or pail into the larger bin or pile, add new paper or leaves to the bottom each time before starting to fill it up again.
