Composting in Style

Composting is the bargain lover’s deal of the century. Take something you were going to put in the garbage, and quickly and easily turn in it into one of the best soil amendments money can buy—only it’s free! The practice offers the bonus of keeping organic material out of the waste stream, so you’ll be doing your part to relieve the burden on overtaxed landfills. And it couldn’t be simpler. Although hardcore composters may work endlessly with the “formula” of their compost pile, you can start composting now with little expertise. Buy or make a simple composting bin—or just create a pile in a secluded corner of the garden where air flows freely—start collecting organic matter, and poof, you’re on your way to black garden gold.

One of the several handsome pails

offered by Norpro. (Photo courtesy of Norpro.)

No matter how you choose to compost, chances are that kitchen scraps are going to be a big part of that effort. Just about everything you use in cooking (minus synthetic materials and any animal fats or proteins) is fair game. The smaller the bits, the better, but pretty much any vegetable scraps will work. The trick is not ruining the look of your kitchen while you collect the scraps. The handiest place for your indoor compost pail is right by the sink or your prep area, but few things are as sure a design-kill as a scratched-up plastic pail full of vegetable leavings. As “country” as your kitchen might be, that’s never a good visual. My suspicion? This is probably a major factor why so many people choose not to compost.

Never fear! You can collect compost food scraps in style; you just need the right compost pail. Look around a little and you’re sure to find many interesting candidates. Norpro makes standalone compost pails in many different styles, from clean white enameled pails, to more decorative designs. Like most standalone compost pails offered at retail, these include charcoal inserts to eliminate odors (although it’s worth mentioning that if you’re regularly emptying the pail and collecting only vegetable matter, smells and insects are rarely a problem).  You can find Norpro products at Amazon (www.amazon.com) and the unrelated Norpro Webstore (www.norprowebstore.com).

The stainless steel pail from Simple

Human, showing the charcoal cartridge

that keeps things smelling fresh.  

(Photo courtesy of Simple Human, www.simplehuman.com.)

As you might expect of a company that specializes in hip, enlightened design, Simple Human offers a compost pail that are, well, simply elegant. It's as attractive as any other countertop fixture you might own. You’ll find their pails and other products at www.simplehuman.com.

Into a more modern, sleek vibe? Blanco (www.blancoamerica.com) has you covered with their Solon composting system. A stainless steel pail slips right into a hole in the counter and is covered up with a low-profile lid. The hole can be cut in just about any countertop that has room underneath for the pail, meaning you can position near food prep areas to make it as handy as possible. It's finished with a sophisticated recessed lip. When it comes time to empty the pail, remove it using the handle that slots out of the way at other times.

Blanco's Solon compost system makes recycling kitchen scraps easy.
(Photos courtesy of Blanco, www.blancoamerica.com, (800) 451-5782.)

Pick the solution that works best for you and your kitchen design, because doing right by the environment and your garden doesn’t mean sacrificing style. Composting, who knew it could be chic?