Years ago before I had kids, my husband and I had a trash can that we turned into a compost bin. I have to admit I was surprised at how much it reduced our waste. We moved around a little after that and it never made sense to start composting again, living in a condo with a patio and no plants. Now that we are back in a house and have started a garden (growing strong since Valentines Day), it seems more doable. We have a lot of space on the side yard of our house that would make a perfect spot to hide a compost bin.

I love that you can toss waste into a bucket and after time spent decaying and breaking down, it becomes an element that provides important nutrients that bring life to other plants. I also love that it reduces the waste that gets carried off to some hidden landfill. Americans generate over 250 million tons of trash every year. While paper and cans are popular recyclables, only about 3% of food waste is composted or recycled and it makes up the largest category of products taking up space in our landfills. Less than 8% of all plastics are recycled. The top 3 recycled products are:

1. Paper
2. Yard Waste
3. Metals/Cans

Here are some great resources I found online that will teach you and your kids more about composting and how to get started:

Composting For Kids Slide Show – Great slide show teaching about the benefits of composting and how to do it.

Do the Rot Thing: Teachers Guide To Compost Activities – Teachers guide with lots of fun project ideas and information about composting.

US Composting Council – Includes a list of links and resources that include lesson plans and printable activities.

PBS Kids: The Greens – Outdoor Composting – Information and activities

Getting Dirty: Five Fun Composting Projects for Kids – Project ideas

Books about recycling and other ways to reduce our footprint – Click on the image for more information:

Do you compost? What kind of critters do you think you would find in a healthy compost bin?