Get the dirt on composting in Philly

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. This popular mantra doesn't just refer to separating out your paper, plastic and glass and bringing your own bag to the supermarket. Another way to reduce your carbon footprint is to compost. Not only does recycling your food waste reduce methane emission at landfills, a big contributor to global warming, it also creates nutrient-rich organic fertilizer for you to use in your garden.

While we are still a long way from making composting a city-wide practice, there are composting services in Philadelphia that can aid you in your quest for more sustainable living.

CitySprouts runs a commercial organics collections for local businesses in Fishtown and Northern Liberties and offers a residential composting drop-off program as well. Businesses that sign up are given bins to separate out their food waste and then Jen Mastalerz, owner of CitySprouts and her team collect the bins on bike and bring them back to their facility for composting. Doing their pickups by bike is another way they reduce their carbon footprint.

"At our facility, we offer in vessel composting using Earth Tubs," Mastalerz explained. "We also sell the compost, usually to individuals wanting it for their gardens. Members who drop off their food waste for composting can get it back for free," she added.

In the future, she hopes that more restaurants in the city will commit to composting. The key to that happening though she said, is for there to be more support for restaurants that make the commitment.  "Restaurants will be encouraged to try it if they knew it was important to their customers," she said.

Not in the Fishtown or Northern Liberties area? There are other composting services that can help. The Dirt Factory is a community composting facility for University City and Bennett Compost on Hunting Park Avenue will collect in all Philadelphia neighborhoods.

Are you more of a Do-it-Yourselfer? Here is what you need to know to compost at home:

Location. Pick the spot for your compost bin or pile carefully. Your backyard or basement, away from the neighbors, is your best bet. If you plan on skipping the bin and creating an au naturel pile, Planet Natural suggests building it close to the garden and a water source.

Recipe. Putting together the right ingredients for a successful recipe is not difficult, but there will be some trial and error. Mastalerz warns that it might take you a few times to get in the groove of composting. Don't give up when you get frustrated,

To get the best results, alternate layers of browns (dead leaves, branches and twigs) with greens (grass clippings, vegetable and fruit waste and coffee grounds). Because the microorganisms that perform all the dirty work for you require moisture and oxygen, don't forget to moisten dry materials as you add them in, and use a compost aerator to turn your compost once a week. Planet Natural cautions you though against allowing the compost to get too damp. If you are not using a bin, then build a shelter to protect your outdoor pile from downpours.

Ingredients.  Here's a pretty comprehensive list of what to compost from the Environmental Protection Agency:

Mastalerz says that keeping food scraps in the refrigerator or freezer until ready for composting can help with the odor that sometimes scares people away.

It usually takes compost two to five weeks to cook up, and in the meantime you will start to see how much less garbage you are sending to the city's landfills.

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