No matter how big or small your space, wormless composting is possible. When making steps toward sustainable apartment living, I learned about composting with worms. I’m still a huge advocate of vermicomposting (composting with worms). The worms do all the work, you never really have to touch them, and the the DIY bins are super simple. But despite my passion for worms, especially during the days I didn’t have the option for a bigger bin, I’ve since learned and had to accept that not everyone is going to be a fan of worm composting. The good news is there are still options for people who want to compost, but don’t want worms.

Why Compost in an Apartment?

You’re here! This means, I’m guessing, you have your own solid reason for wanting to compost even if you live in an apartment or in a space you don’t own or don’t have a garden. I get this question all the time, so I’ve decided to address it just in case you’re on the fence.

Most people consider composting only something a hardcore farmer or gardener would do. While it’s true that compost has all kinds of wonderful benefits for the soil, that’s not all.

It helps build the structure and adds nutrients necessary for plants to grow. When people talk about the benefits of compost, this part is key. While poor farming practices and other land use is a growing issue that compost addresses, there is another aspect we need to consider. Food waste.

To reduce food waste has enough benefit to make composting worth it, even if that compost never makes to the land.

And there’s two major reasons why this is the case.

First, the process causes food waste to shrink by about 80 percent as it decomposes. Even if (yes, this is crazy) you throw your compost away, then, and you’ll still be reducing the volume of garbage going to your landfill. Most people overestimate how much compost they end up with. There’s not enough compost to dispose of to create an issue.

Second, proper composting can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from your trash. Because organic materials don’t have oxygen in the landfill, it causes anaerobic (without air) decomposition. This process releases methane gas, which is about 20 times more harmful than carbon dioxide. This gas is also combustible and the liquids from the decomposing process could potentially leach into our water supply. Therefore, landfills have an expensive liner and collection system to prevent these potential hazards.

What Can You Compost Indoors

If you want to know how to compost in an apartment, first you need to know what you can actually compost indoors. When you compost in an apartment or indoors, it’s important to watch what you put in the compost bin. You don’t want to draw any visitors or make your apartment stink. Refer back to list anytime you need and make sure you don’t try composting something to invite new visitors.

Never compost meat, dairy, citrus, oils, cooked foods, spicy food, salty food or foods with preservatives. There is a couple of exceptions that we’ll discuss in the wormless composting option section.

Brown or carbon rich materials should make up at least 50 percent of compost. These materials include newspaper, paper (printed with soy ink for worms), cardboard, wood chips, straw or hay, and leaves.

The green or nitrogen materials, include fruits, vegetables, coffee grounds, tea bags, hair, eggshells, coffee filters, and cooked pasta.

The key is to make sure you have the right balance of brown versus green. If you’re compost starts to stink or draws flies, add dry browns and back off of the green until it balances back out.

Wormless Composting Options

So now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s get back to the wormless composting options for apartments.

Apartment composting without worms

Although, I’m a huge fan of composting with worms, I know it’s a turn off for most people in apartments. Luckily, there is still a few options for those wanting to know how to compost in an apartment…without worms.

Wormless Apartment Composting DIY

• Materials Needed:
• Dried Leaves
• 8 oz of top soil
• Can of used coffee grounds
• Large Bucket
• A little water

If you have a bucket lid, make sure it has plenty of holes. If your bucket doesn’t have a lid, use a porous towel to cover the top. Air is an important component for compost. Mix the compost fairly often to aerate and increase microbial activity.

You can find variations of this method throughout YouTube, so take a browse to find a method that works for you. Composting takes anywhere from six weeks to a year.

Compost Bin for Small Yards and Balconies

If you have a little space outdoors to work with, then a small tumbler like this one might be an option.

Compost tumblers, as opposed to compost bins, are designed to make it easier to turn the compost. You’ll only need to spin the drum a few times a week. They are a tad smaller than a compost bin. However, they speed the composting process by making it easy to mix the materials, They are sealed on the bottom, so if you rent property, you don’t have to worry about cleaning up after the compost bin.  The seal also helps the compost heat up more, speeding up the compost more.  This system gives you the ability through batches in about 6 – 8 weeks. You can learn more about the compost bins vs. compost tumblers.

Interested in composting, but don’t know where to start? Subscribe for access to a free quiz and find the best composting option for you.