Environment Blog

Trash Queens Episode 3: Frozen Compost

Let it go… into the freezer

January 18, 2017
The future’s too bright for these happy composters. [Image Credit: Ellen Airhart]

One of the best technical tips we’ve received was from a woman named Jill who recently celebrated her 10-year composting anniversary. Her advice? Freeze your food scraps.

By putting your food scraps into a bowl in the freezer, you create an easily-maintained habit that feels just as satisfying as throwing the scraps away. Plus, you cut the smell. Frozen food has no odor and that’s essential for Jill, a mom-on-the-go who can only take her food waste to her local composting site once a week.

Jill committed to composting when she was living and working in the Bay Area over a decade ago. Now she and others in New York City connect at the Union Square Greenmarket and the Lower East Side Ecology Center, sharing their advice with composting newbies.

If you’re looking for technical support in New York City, check the resources offered by the Department of Sanitation. Ditto the master gardener certificate programs, the express purpose of which is to teach people the high art of composting and encourage them to spread the gospel of food waste management.

If you’re outside the city, or aren’t ready to make your entree into the world of “compost nerds” just yet, check online. You’ll find government resources, like how-to guides from the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as personal blogs of composters as wise and helpful as Jill!

Xoxo,

The Trash Queens

Video produced by Eleanor Cummins and Ellen Airhart

About the Author

Eleanor Cummins

Eleanor Cummins is a writer focusing on the intersection of science and culture. Trained in medical anthropology at the University of Washington, she has conducted research on a variety of topics including scientific misconduct in the context of evolutionary theory and adolescent health in the digital age. Her free time has been dedicated almost exclusively to newsrooms, including work as a staff reporter for the Tri-City Herald and an editor at The Daily of UW.

You can follow Eleanor on Twitter here

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