Composting for people who hate composting

A Mother Nature-fueled trash incinerator

A compost bin outside in a bed of clover.

Rose Maura Lorre

YOUR GUIDE:

Composting is great in theory, but in practice, all that rotting food can be a mess.

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For lazy environmentalists like me who want to reduce their household waste without assigning themselves more chores, I found a not-unsightly solution that requires almost no effort: passive composting. The compost that results from passive composting will take longer to decompose and won’t be as beneficial in a garden, but if your primary goal is to reduce what goes into your garbage, it’s a great solution.

I like (maybe even love?) the Redmon 65-Gallon Compost Bin. Just install it on a patch of unpaved ground and feed it your scraps. Without demanding any other labor from me, it has converted hundreds of pounds of food waste into a soil-like humus. Mine hasn’t reached full capacity—despite years of use. And I’ve never even needed to empty the thing, except for once or twice out of curiosity.

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How I saved 2,000 pounds of food from the landfill→

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Do you really need compostable bags for your food scraps?

An illustration of a plastic bag underground, floating in the soil amidst dinosaur fossils, worms and organic matter.

Dana Davis

Using a liner bag labeled as compostable or biodegradable may seem like a great way to keep your kitchen bucket clean and to transport all those veggie peels and coffee grinds to your compost heap or municipal collection bin.‌

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However, experts say it’s better to forgo liners altogether or to just reuse paper bags instead.‌

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Maybe go bagless→

More on sustainability

An illustration depicting a solid shampoo bar amidst water bubbles and swirls in a red and blue background.

This shampoo bar saves me money and comes in compostable packaging

Shampoo bars can give you great hair with less waste.

Someone holding a credit card and typing on a laptop.

Our tips for shopping more sustainably

If you want to take a more mindful approach to shopping, these six tips will make you a savvier shopper, save you money, and help limit your environmental impact.

We wish buying carbon offsets for your flight helped. It doesn’t.

Many airlines, booking sites, and companies offer programs claiming to offset the greenhouse gas emissions of your flight. Here’s what to know.

A deal on one of our favorite reusable water bottles

A light green Hydro Flask 21oz Standard Mouth.

Michael Hession

The Hydro Flask is an insulated steel bottle that’s pleasant to sip from and simple to carry, and it was completely leakproof in our tests. Unlike aluminum bottles, this one won’t dent easily. Unlike glass bottles, this bottle won’t have issues with the bottom cracking. And unlike plastic bottles, it won’t deteriorate quickly while in use.

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We found it on sale here→

Hope you’re having a great weekend.

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You can reach the Wirecutter newsletters team at newsletters@wirecutter.com. We can’t always respond but we do love to hear from you.

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Mother Naturefueled trash incinerator Rose Maura Lorre

Composting for people who hate composting

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