plas•tic al•ba•tross
(plas-tik lb-tros)

1. The Plastic Albatross is a community-focused campaign that provides helpful information about toxins in PLASTICS and other household products, and how these substances affect our health and environment.

2. We encourage local families, businesses, and organizations to limit their exposure to and consumption of plastic and commonly used toxic chemicals to work toward a toxin-free future!

Jan
18
2010

How to Be Plastic-Free: Compost!

by The Plastic Albatross
Filed under: Household, How to be Plastic-Free
Tags: ,

Rather than purchase plastic packaged food and plastic trash bags to hold the waste, I try to buy whole foods that can be consumed completely or composted after use.

Compost Bin

Compostable Food Scraps

Living in the city has its advantages for low-impact living, but composting is a challenge if you live in a big apartment building and rely on public transportation. I live in a large tenement building in Brooklyn — my neighbors barely recycle, let alone compost.

I walk with my compost pail about 20 minutes to the nearest Community Garden that accepts food scraps. This may seem a bit overzealous, but I have been able to reduce my total non-compostable trash down 95%. No sloppy trash means no need for plastic trash bags either! I just take my bin down to the street and dump it in the communal cans out front.

GET STARTED:

  • Locate a NYC Community Garden near you that accepts food waste for composting year round.
  • If your building is open to composting, check out the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Compost Project.
  • If you live outside the city, contact your local Cooperative Extension.
  • Setting up a compost pile in your backyard or common area is easy. Check out this handy Composting Guide.

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