Composting in Winter

by Martha Hollinger of the SWRC

Forgive me, mother earth, for I have sinned. I am a failed winter composter. Every year, I swear I will try, and I set out with the best of intentions, but then the snow comes, and I get lazy. I do really well for 9 months of the year, and that's certainly better than nothing, but how does one make it through those winter months?

There are some things we can do when the snow comes and we don't want to bundle up and traipse through the back yard to the compost bin.

Some people simply collect their compost in small bins, such as 4-litre ice-cream pails, or plastic bags, or whatever suits (something with a lid is more pet-proof, if that's an issue). Once they're full, put them outside to freeze. Lining them with a layer of newspaper can help control liquid ooze and keep odours down a bit (winter or summer), and adds instant "browns" to your mix. In the spring, when they've thawed just enough to dump them (but before they get too "icky"), add them to your compost bin with some left-over dried leaves, and you're good to go.

One master composter we know wraps her scraps as she goes in small newspaper bundles or small paper bags, and tosses these in a bin or bucket (such as an old drywall bucket) near the house. She lines this with a bit of paper or some leaves to absorb any leakage. In the spring, she uses these bundles, often partly composted by then, to start her new spring compost pile -- browns and greens together, no fuss, no muss.

Another alternative is to simply keep adding compostables to your bin with some leaves, but as they're not going to break down over the winter (compost freezes, and the process stops during the cold. It picks right up again once the weather warms up), the bin will fill up more than usual. If you have more than one bin, that won't be a problem, but if you have a single bin, you may just have to play it by ear. And of course, this doesn't solve the bundle-up-deep-snow-I'm-a-wimp issue.

If you prefer indoor composting, you may want to set up a vermicomposting bin -- composting using red wiggler worms -- who happily munch on your kitchen scraps. Their castings (a fancy word for "poop") make terrific compost. The bins need a little more TLC than your back-yard bin, but it's not difficult, and the SWRC can help you out with finding a supplier, getting the bin set up and keeping it healthy.

Other ways to break down the barriers may be simpler -- keep the back-yard bin as close to the back door as possible; keep the path to the bin shovelled (I always start doing that too, until the first really big dump. We live on a big corner lot, so the back yard never gets attention!). Hypnosis might be another option, I haven't tried that yet!

(Source: November 2010 WasteWatch)

Back to Composting main page

Back to Resources main page

Back to Home page