How to Compost at Home

Jul 28, 2025

How to Compost at Home

🥕 How to Compost at Home (and What Lane County Will Pick Up for You)

So you’ve got banana peels, coffee grounds, and a guilty conscience. Great news—you’re ready to compost. Whether you’re an apartment dweller with a countertop pail or a backyard king with space to spare, composting is one of the easiest ways to reduce waste, feed your soil, and feel smugly virtuous every time you make a salad.

In Lane County, it’s not just possible—it’s practical, and in some areas, even curbside-supported.

Let’s dig in. (Compost pun #1—just getting warmed up.)

🧩 What Is Composting, Really?

Composting is nature’s recycling program. It’s the breakdown of organic material—like food scraps, leaves, and even paper towels—into rich, fertile soil (also known as “black gold”).

There are two main styles you should know:

  • Backyard Composting: DIY, hands-on, a little messy. Perfect for gardeners and the dirt-in-the-fingernails crowd.

  • Curbside Composting: Offered by certain waste haulers (like Sanipac in Eugene). Toss your food scraps in a green bin and let the pros take it from there.

🥗 What You Can Compost

Here’s the secret sauce: Compost needs a balance of greens (wet, nitrogen-rich) and browns (dry, carbon-rich). Think salad and mulch.

✅ Greens (Nitrogen-rich):

  • Fruit & veggie scraps

  • Coffee grounds & filters

  • Tea bags (no plastic!)

  • Plant trimmings

  • Grass clippings (sparingly)

✅ Browns (Carbon-rich):

  • Dried leaves

  • Paper towels & napkins (unbleached)

  • Shredded newspaper

  • Cardboard (small pieces)

  • Sawdust (from untreated wood)

🚫 Avoid These (Unless You Want a Stinky Rodent Rave):

  • Meat, bones, dairy

  • Oily foods

  • Pet waste

  • Diseased plants

  • Glossy paper

🌱 How to Compost at Home (Step by Step)

1. Choose Your Method

Outdoor bin? Great if you’ve got space.
Worm bin (vermicomposting)? Ideal for indoors or small spaces.
Countertop pail + curbside bin? The lazy-but-effective route.

2. Pick a Good Spot

Shady, well-drained, and easy to reach. Don’t make your compost a hike.

3. Layer It Up

Like lasagna: alternate greens and browns. Start with browns on the bottom to absorb moisture and prevent stink.

4. Keep It Moist (But Not Soggy)

Imagine a wrung-out sponge. That’s the texture you want.

5. Turn It Weekly

Aeration speeds up decomposition and keeps things from going rotten.

6. Wait & Harvest

In 2–6 months, you’ll have crumbly, earthy-smelling compost. Use it in your garden beds, potted plants, or sprinkle it around your yard like you’re Johnny Appleseed.

🚛 What About Lane County’s Curbside Composting?

If you live in Eugene, Springfield, or other select areas, your waste hauler might offer food waste pickup. That’s right—no backyard bin required.

Here’s how it works:

  • You collect food scraps in a kitchen pail (Sanipac gives them out free).

  • You dump it into your yard debris bin.

  • They haul it away and turn it into mulch and compost.

🧺 Accepted in curbside compost:

  • Fruits and veggies

  • Coffee grounds/filters

  • Tea bags

  • Breads and grains

  • Eggshells

⚠️ NOT accepted curbside:

  • Meat, bones, or dairy

  • Compostable plastics (they don’t break down properly)

  • Paper towels/napkins (check with your hauler)

🪱 Bonus: Worm Composting 101 (For Indoors or Patios)

If the phrase “red wigglers” doesn’t scare you, worm bins might be your jam.

Pros:

  • No smell if done right

  • Compact—great for apartments

  • Kids love it

Cons:

  • Worms are picky

  • Temperature-sensitive (keep above 40°F)

  • You have to say the words “worm tea” without giggling

🌻 Where to Buy Compost Gear in Lane County

  • 🛒 BRING Recycling (Eugene): Reclaimed bins, supplies, and advice

  • 🌿 Down To Earth Garden Center (Eugene & online)

  • 🪱 Jerry’s Home Improvement (Worm bins & compost turners)

🌎 Why It Matters

Lane County sends over 100,000 tons of waste to the landfill each year. Up to 30% of that is compostable food scraps. If every household composted just their coffee grounds and veggie peels, we’d slash emissions and enrich our local soil in one fell swoop.

So go ahead. Toss that apple core like it’s a revolution.

💬 Final Scoop

Composting is easy, rewarding, and—let’s be real—a little addictive. Whether you go full homesteader or just take advantage of the green bin, you’re doing something awesome for your community and the planet.

🔍 Composting Article Keyword Phrases

  1. how to compost at home

  2. composting in Lane County

  3. Lane County curbside compost

  4. backyard composting tips

  5. what to compost and what not to

  6. worm bin composting Oregon

  7. composting food scraps Eugene

  8. best compost bins for small spaces

  9. composting do’s and don’ts

  10. home composting step by step

  11. how to use a worm bin

  12. Sanipac food waste program

  13. organic waste pickup Eugene

  14. Lane County compost guide

  15. Thriving Oregon compost tips