How to Compost, The Wild Way

our composting tips and tricks for kansas citians 

Want to start composting but don't know where to begin? We were right there with you and have done the dirty work of figuring out the perfect, non smelly, no fuss way of composting. Here's our system! Have more tips or tricks? Add them in the comment section and we can all learn from each other. Check out our friends Compost Collective KC on their socials (@compostcollectivekc) for more composting information! 

Step One: Pickup a Compost Swap Bucket from US

Next time you find the Camper at Brookside or the Warehouse, grab one of Compost Collective's Swap Buckets. $10 for first timers, $8 for swappers. It comes with a compostable liner, lid, bucket and instructions.

Step Two: Perfect Your Home Composting Setup

There's a few tips we have for keeping the composting experience seamless and non smelly at home.

1) Place your bucket outside. This keeps the smells inside your house to a minimum while you're collecting your food scraps. A back or front porch near your kitchen door, a patio, etc. Don't have an outdoor space easily accessible? Line the bottom of your compost bucket with newspaper or cut up toilet paper rolls to keep the smells under control. I've also heard great things about activated charcoal liners like this one to reduce smells.

2) Find a little mini compost receptacle that works for your kitchen workflow. We use this because it can easily clip onto our kitchen cabinet to make sliding your food scraps into the mini compost bucket easier.
Here are some suggestions: My Fave.   Complete Package w/ Charcoal.  Cute & functional. One Kim Kardashian would use. 

3) Use little mini compost baggies to fit inside your mini compost can (usually 3 gallon works). Just be sure this bags are certified home compostable. A lot of greenwashing happens in this industry. Be wary of trash bags that are "green" but don't say certified compostable or BPI. Usually if it looks or feels like plastic, it's plastic and won't compost. 
I stick to World Centric, UNNI or BioBag. They can be found at Whole Foods, Nature's Own or Natural Grocers or Amazon. 
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4) Cook! Chop! Juice! Shred! Make delicious things! Whenever you have food scraps or compostable items (like our Wild Way cups, lids and straws), slide them into your mini compost receptacle until it gets full (usually 3-5 days). Once full, tie up your mini baggie and place into your lined Compost Collective Swap Bucket. Seal the lid tight. Bring your mini compost receptacle back in, give it a nice wash and let it dry before putting in a new liner.
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5) Repeat! Keep using your little lined kitchen compost bin for your daily use, and whenever you fill it up, tie it and put in the lined Compost Collective Swap Bucket. It takes me and Jon about 2 weeks to fill up the big bucket! 

What is Compostable? How do I know? 

If you can eat it, it grew from the earth, or can return back to the Earth, it's probably compostable. Checkout our list of compostable items and then review Compost Collective's list of compostable items. 

Step Three: Bring Back Your Full Compost Collective Bin to a Bin Swap Location!

The Wild Way is just one of MANY compost swap locations for Compost Collective KC. See their full list HERE. Visit us, or any one of these other locations to drop off your full bucket and swap for a new and clean one for only $8. No mess. No dumping. You just drop it and swap it for a fresh one. Easy peasy lemon squeezy (which are compostable ;)

Not to mention this is a great way to visit other Kansas City businesses you've never been to before! Exploring new spots while supporting small business AND contributing to less waste??? Could this be any more enticing?