Composting + Fairtrade
I started composting in 2019 when I lived in an apartment. Some people who own houses invest in a backyard composting device or have a giant bin that they compost in. Luckily, there are now services for those who don’t have those options! I use a local subscription compost company named KC Compost. I save all my compost in a large bucket (about 4 gallons) with a tight sealing lid. KC Compost will send a driver to your house once per week to empty your compost bucket if you put it at the end of the driveway or on the sidewalk. When I lived an apartment, I would set it outside on the stairs. However, my apartment complex would always think it was trash or something and throw it away!
Food waste is a problem and usually goes straight to a landfill. When you compost, all the food waste is churned together and, slowly over time, micro-organisms turn the waste into a very fertile soil that can be used for gardening and planting. KC Compost gives its Members a free bag of soil and you can purchase additional soil for your garden.
There are blogs out there that create recipes from food waste if you are interested in that. You can save the bits of vegetables you cut off to make a broth. I have seen one recipe for broccoli where you cut the stalks into small chip size pieces and fry them. That sounds delicious but I’ve never done it.
If you can’t do the compost subscription service, you can take your compost bin to several locations around KC to exchange it for a clean bin. Here is one of my favorite exchange spots: Ten Thousand Villages Crafted Fairtrade in Overland Park, KS. It sells all hand-crafted artisan products from the US and all over the globe, and all it’s products are certified Fairtrade.
Fairtrade is a certification that is aimed to ensure companies and products are made without slave labor. There is a minimum standard of pay for workers and mandatory traceability of the supply chain. The organization audits companies and it’s supply chain to check for no child labor, no discriminatory practices, and safe working conditions. The certification process also has a component of checking pesticides and does not allow GMO seeds. Fairtrade is not a 100% fallible but it is a great start to feel good about what you are purchasing. You may recognize the Fairtrade certification on Chocolate, Bananas, and Coffee.
Gorgeous mural on the back of Ten Thousand Villages with Compost Bins waiting to be picked up by KC Compost.