Outdoor composting bin. Photo by Trish Walker on Flickr
Composting is a major development in living greener and an acquaintance of mine can speak on this topic from experience.
Young adult Cheyenne West, a sophomore at Olivet Nazarene University studying zoology, is the epitome of living green and began composting during this spring semester.
West lives a zero-waste lifestyle in more ways than one and desires to eliminate the use of plastic. For example, West mentioned that she uses self-care products that come in zero-waste packaging and also stores cleaning supplies in glass bottles.
Two glass bottles that contain cleaning solution. Photo by Daiga Ellaby on Unsplash
However, West decided to go an extra step and begin composting.
According to West, composting is when you take biodegradable materials, like banana peels and coffee grounds, and put them into a container.
The benefits of composting are that it reduces landfill and enriches soil for gardens and grass.
“So, eliminating that (biodegradables) going into the landfill is a major component of why composting exists. You’re not sending banana peels to the landfill because well there’s no need for them when they can just be tossed out your window and decompose on their own,” West stated.
Banana peel on the ground. Photo by Jake Nackos on Unsplash
Since West lives near the college campus, it’s been difficult to have a composting area. One alternative she mentioned would be having a compost bin with worms in it.
“As weird as that sounds, worms actually eat the dead materials and the nutrients that the dead fruit and coffee grounds give off. They (the worms) are really good composting agents,” West stated.
West began living a greener lifestyle a few years ago and what inspires her to live eco-friendly is both her future and the future of others.
Since West’s passion is to work by the oceans, eliminating plastic secures her a job and helps take healthier strides towards a cleaner ocean. She also inspires to conserve because she wants our next generation(s) to see the beauty in our planet without plastic in harm’s way.
Plastic pollution on a beach. Photo by Hillary Daniels on Flickr
Young adults like West inspire others to start living greener. Her lifestyle choices have even rubbed off on her friends and roommates in the littlest way possible like using bamboo toothbrushes.
West concluded by mentioning how plastic is a more convenient choice, but taking the time to eliminate that alternative is beneficial for our planet.
“Having a zero-waste or eco-friendly lifestyle kind of shows everyone else that even though I’m a busy college student and have a lot of things to do, I can still take the time out of my day,” West concluded.
All you need is a container and a lid and your journey to composting can begin just like that! Not all composting bins need to be indoors, but be aware of tracking in animals if you decide to have an outdoor bin without a lid.
Happy composting!
Comments