- Hey, I'm Monique.
- And I'm Jamie
and we're
♪ Compostable LA, Compostable LA. ♪
And we, uh.
- Uh. (everyone laughs)
- We're a compost pickup service here in Los Angeles.
- That's right. So I just want to let everybody know
that we're being COVID-safe.
We all got COVID tests before this shoot
and we are vaccinated and we're trying to keep our distance.
So I hope you guys stay safe, too,
and if you're not in LA, don't worry.
We're going to show you some cool ways
that you can compost at home.
- Let's do it. - What.
So method number one is bokashi also known as EM.
It's from Japan and the island that I grew up on, Okinawa.
So Bokashi is super easy.
You're just going to take inoculated bran
or inoculated wheat, and you're going to sprinkle it
on top of your food scraps inside an airtight container.
So we have our Bokashi here that we're doing.
So there's holes in the bottom here
and you're going to put it in the bin
that does not have holes like this.
That's going to be airtight, but it's also going to allow
for any liquid that's in here to like percolate
to the bottom.
I will just take whatever food scraps
and paper scraps that I have,
and once you have kind of like a nice layer,
you're then going to take your bran,
you just sprinkle some on there.
The other thing that I, like is very helpful is if you take
like some old paper bags or cardboard
and just like put it on top.
So we just went ahead and made this, which is just a cover,
and you're just going to go ahead and like push that down,
get some of that, get that air out as much as possible.
I like to put something heavy on top just to keep it,
you know, as airtight as possible.
And once you fill that up,
you're going to let that sit for two weeks,
and after that two weeks, you just take it
and you put it in soil and let it sit for another two weeks,
and then you're going to have compost.
So Bokashi is dope for people who don't like bugs
and people who live in small apartments.
The downside might be that
if you don't have a place to put the Bokashi
for the two weeks, it might be a little challenging.
If you don't have an outdoor space,
you might have to negotiate with some people that do
in order to keep it buried in the soil for the two weeks
that it needs.
So you're probably wondering how hard this is.
On the scale of level of difficulty, it's pretty easy.
Like there's not a lot to manage.
All you really have to do in terms of like the cost
and the management is the upfront cost of getting the bins,
and then occasionally you're probably going
to have to buy more bran, but that also depends
on how much food waste you have
and like your frequency of use,
but generally that's kind of it.
So if you want something that makes you feel earthy
and simple, and like,
you don't want to like get too naturey,
this is like a good option for you.
- All right, for method number two
we're going to talk about vermicomposting.
So vermicomposting is basically using worms
to break down your food waste.
People create little worm farms,
and what they do is that in a nice shaded area of your yard
or balcony, you're going to have your food on top,
and the worms will eat that
and create really nutrient-rich soil on the bottom
where you harvest it.
So to get started, all you need is your container
for the farm, as well as your worms.
A lot of people purchase red wigglers
and they can eat half their body weight in food per day.
Okay, so we're going to show you how to set up a worm bin.
You first have to create the bedding,
so that can be coconut core,
a layer of finished compost, newspaper.
So what we're going to do for this one is add a layer
of compost, as you can see, I already have some laid down.
Add a little bit more, and then some shredded newspaper.
The shredded newspaper gives them air
so they don't feel suffocated, and you're going to want
to add a little bit of moisture to this, as well.
And then you would add your worms, commonly red wigglers
to this and give it about a week for them to get settled in
before you start adding your food scraps.
When you add your food scraps,
you're just going to create a layer on the top,
making sure to leave out citrus, meat, and dairy,
but any other kind of organic material
like your veggie scraps, that's all fair game.
So what you'll see here is a little nozzle
for the liquid that's coming off
because remember you want to keep this somewhat wet,
not overly moist.
Once you fill up this layer, you're going to
want to add a second layer, create a whole new bedding here
and then immediately add your food scraps on top
and the worms will work their way up
through these little holes.
So as you fill up,
you'll just continue adding more and more layers.
The most finished compost is going to be on the bottom
and then the newer stuff will be on the top,
so when you're ready to harvest,
you're going to pull the tray off from the bottom,
and then when you're empty him,
he'll become the top layer again.
The pros of vermicomposting is
that it's super great for small spaces.
You can do it on your patio.
Some people even do it inside
and it really does give this amazing quality soil.
It's the super food for plants.
The con is you have to be comfortable with worms
and that might be a deal breaker for you.
The other thing is that the quality
of the soil can be a bit high in nitrogen,
so you're going to want to make sure you mix that in
with some soil to dilute it a bit,
but if you can make friends with your worms,
it's a great option.
So vermicomposting is actually quite easy.
There might be initial troubleshooting questions,
but you know, the internet is full of information for you.
Really, the initial costs are just that upfront
for those bins and the worms, but then the worms,
if they're happy, are just going to reproduce
and you'll never have to buy them again.
Vermicomposting is great for anybody who lives
in a small space and is great
because there's really no continued costs.
Once you get your initial setup,
you're good to go.
Method number three, a drop-off or pickup service.
- So if Bokashi and vermicompost are not your thing,
which I understand, you have the option to try
either a drop-off or pickup service like us,
Compostable LA.
Drop off is very straightforward.
Just find a community garden or a farmer's market
where you can drop off your compost.
If you feel like you don't have a lot of time to do it,
you can actually take your food scraps,
put them in a paper bag, put them in the freezer
and then just drop it off once a month or whenever you can.
For the pickup service, even simpler than that.
So we just bring a clean bin to you
if you pay for our service.
We leave the bin there, you put your food scraps in.
On the day we come to pick it up,
you put it outside your door,
we take it and we leave you a new clean bin.
Very easy.
- The pros of a drop-off service is
that usually it's free and that's amazing,
and it's great for community building.
Maybe you're dropping off at your neighbor's backyard,
and how awesome is that to really connect with that person?
The other part of that is
that it's usually staying within the community it's created.
The cons is that you gotta remember to go.
I've had it where my freezer is chock-full of food waste
and I just keep forgetting to bring it.
So the benefits of a pickup service is just how easy it is.
I mean, all you have to do is put your bin outside
and maybe your bin just lives outside
and you don't even have to remember that much.
The cons is you probably have to pay
for a service like this.
Usually there's a monthly fee associated with it.
This type of method is ideal
for anybody who wants a more hands-off approach,
so still sustainably-minded
and wants to do something good for the environment,
but maybe not ready to roll their sleeves up
and get their hands dirty.
If you want to learn more, check us out
at compostablela.com and we hope you start composting today,
whether that's at home or using a service.
You can see a whole list of services at litterless.com.
So maybe there's one in your area.
(gentle music)