Northgate Lakes Apartments offer a lot of green features including recycling, Energy Star appliances, energy-efficient A/C to name a few along with many outdoor spaces to enjoy, perfect for a green lifestyle at UCF.
Good for you and great question! Composting is the process of turning your kitchen apartment waste into nutrient-rich soil through natural decomposition. There are many benefits to composting and contrary to what many think a compost pile is possible in your University of Central Florida apartment. Whether you want compost for your indoor plants or patio garden or just want free up your trash space and help the environment composting is easy and can be done in any home.
There are a lot of benefits to composting. Per the EPA composting "reduces methane emissions from landfills and lowers your carbon footprint." Composting also frees up room in regular trash and in our landfills, once you start you will be amazed at what you can compost. If you want to use your compost for your plants, it reduces the need for chemical fertilizers.
Steps to get started Composting in Orlando
The first step would be to check with your specific Orlando apartment to see if they have any rules against indoor or patio composting. Next, find a container. There are many options for containers and prices start at $15 at Target or Walmart. A lot of space is not needed to compost. Compost bins or containers can be found small enough to sit on your cabinet or inside your kitchen cabinet next to your regular trash. A good compost bin should not smell or attract pests. Many containers also contain carbon filters to help eliminate all smells.
Now you are ready to find out what items you are throwing away that you can compost. Old or unused parts of fruit and vegetables, eggshells, coffee grounds/filters, tea bags, or shredded paper are items that most of us throw away daily and a good place to start. Once you get started and learn more things that can be composted you will be amazed how much you were throwing away daily that could have been saved.
You can do all the composting on your own or many cities including Orlando have companies that will pick up or you can drop off your compost for them to process. O-Town Compost offers a weekly or bi-weekly pickup service where they provide a 5-gallon air-tight bucket to put your food scraps and they do the pickup, cleaning, so no fuss for you. You can receive 20 lbs. of compost every six months or you can choose to donate it to local growers in your area. O-Town compost also offers a commercial service for local businesses.
Again, the first step would be to check with your University of Central Florida apartment for any guidelines or restrictions on composting in your own apartment. Composting is an easy and cheap way to cut down on your personal waste, help the environment, and help your plants grow without chemical fertilizers. You can purchase a kitchen compost container or if you have a patio space at your apartment that may be an option that works for you or try a company like O-Town compost and they will provide the container for you. So, you are not limited with space or investment and you can get started in your new greener lifestyle.