Apartment Composting Guide: Simple Steps For Small Spaces

No outdoor space needed. This guide walks you through setting up and maintaining a quiet, tidy system indoors.

What you can start with today

You don't need special equipment on day one. Grab any lidded container you already own. An old cereal tub, cleaned ice cream bucket or glass jar works fine. You will not fill it fast. Many people generate only a small handful of suitable scraps each meal. Line the bottom with a single sheet of plain paper. This catches any drips and makes emptying clean. You only need to empty this countertop holder every 2 or 3 days. Keep it next to your cutting board. That way you will use it. If you tuck it away in a cupboard, you will forget it exists. You do not need to buy a branded bin until you know this habit fits your routine. Only add fruit peels, vegetable trimmings, coffee grounds, tea bags, egg shells and plain bread. Do not add cooked food with oil, dairy, meat or fish. That is the single simplest rule to avoid bad smells. You will find suitable lidded containers in Kitchen & Dining. For plain storage supplies see Household Supplies.

Balancing your scraps

Every scrap you add has one of two qualities. Some are moist, soft and break down fast. Others are dry, crisp and break down slowly. You want roughly equal amounts of both. Soft scraps are the ones you generate every day: apple cores, carrot peel, cucumber ends. Dry scraps include plain cardboard, torn up plain paper, dry tea leaves, crushed egg shells. If you only add soft scraps, the mix will turn slimy and smell. If you only add dry scraps, nothing will break down. You do not have to measure this exactly. Every time you drop in a handful of peel, tear off one small piece of cardboard and add that too. Tear all dry pieces small. Whole egg cartons take far longer to break down than ones torn into thumb sized bits. You can keep a small bag of torn cardboard under your sink so it is always ready. 5% of each sale goes to a cause you choose.

Indoor worm bins

Worms will break down scraps quietly, with no smell, inside a normal plastic box under your sink or on a windowsill. This method works for even the smallest studio apartments. You will need ordinary red worms, some bedding material, and a lidded box with a few very small holes drilled in the top and sides. Do not drill holes in the bottom. Place the box on an old tray to catch any small drips. Feed the worms only small amounts at first. Add new scraps under the bedding, not on top. This stops fruit flies from finding the food. You do not need to turn or mix the bin. The worms do all the work. You will only need to harvest the finished material every 3 or 4 months. At no point does this bin need to smell if you follow the balance rule.

Keeping odours away

No indoor compost system has to smell. If it does, you have made one simple mistake that is easy to fix. The common cause of smell is too many soft scraps, and not enough dry material. Add a handful of torn paper, mix gently, and the smell will stop within 24 hours. Always keep the lid closed fully. Do not overfill your bin. Do not add leftover cooked meals, cheese, meat or oil. If you would not leave that food sitting out on the counter for 3 days, do not put it into your indoor bin. You can wash your countertop holder each time you empty it. A quick rinse with warm water is enough. You do not need cleaning products. Wipe the rim, dry it, line with fresh paper and put it back.

What you do with the finished material

Once scraps have broken down fully, you get a dark, crumbly material you can use for any plants. You can use this to top up house plant pots. Mix a small amount into the top layer of soil once every couple of months. You can give it to neighbours who grow plants on their balconies. You can also drop it off at local community growing spaces. You do not have to grow plants yourself to run this system. Many people prefer this method of sorting kitchen scraps because it keeps their general bin much cleaner and less smelly between collections. Once you get used to this routine, you will notice your general bin needs emptying far less often. It also stops loose food mess from leaking onto your floor when you carry bags out. For plant pots and growing tools visit Garden & Outdoors.

Adjusting for your apartment

There is no one right way to do this. You can adapt every part of this guide to fit your space, schedule and habits. If you travel often, do not run a worm bin. Use the countertop holder and drop scraps off at a local drop off point once a week. If you have no balcony, you can keep everything under your kitchen sink. If you hate touching wet material, use paper liners you can lift out whole. Do not try to do everything well on the first day. Start just by collecting scraps for one week. See how it feels. Add the balance step next. Try the worm bin later only if you want to. This is not something you have to do every single day. You can skip days. You can stop and start again. It does not matter. For other simple daily home routines, see our Fabric care guide. You may also find useful ideas in Self-Care Rituals.

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