What is a composting system exactly? Well with all the wasted food each year that is simply thrown away, a residential compost system takes all the food you are done using, table scrapes, wasted parts of tomatoes, bad potatoes and the like and combines them with air, and other brown waste, like leaves and garden and lawn clippings. Add these with moisture, and have the right ingredients for microorganisms to thrive, turning plant parts, and food waste into rich compost that can be added to your garden.

A composting system can be fast or slow. The faster method is called hot composting, where the organisms are more active, and cold for slower moving ones. You also have a third method, which uses live worms to break down the material. It doesn’t really matter which one you choose, but you should pick one that you can stick too, because nothing works unless you actually use it.

Now there are also other ways to do composting. If you have enough room, you can simply pile the matter up in an area and turn it over every two or three weeks and eventually you will have compost. There are many useful DIY books and complete kits for those of you who like to get your hands dirty, no pun intended. If you are lazy, or just don’t have to time, but want to help the environment, you can buy a complete composting system or several systems that all you do is fill the barrel, as some basic ingredients, and turn the handle once in awhile and have enough compost to cover your vegetable garden, flowering plants, and lawns. Imagine how much money you would save just not having to buy fertilizer?

You can find completely put together products when you purchase a composting system, and kits that come disassembled but are easy to put together with simple tools and instructions. You can find many simple, cheap models, all the way up to state of the art, technologically advance products that are fully automated. While these fancier models can run over two hundred dollars, many can be purchased for well under one hundred.. Worms way, a compost system manufacturer, has the Kitchen Compost Kit. It’s basically a large plastic bin, like a waste basket. It has a sealed lid to keep out flies, and a charcoal filter to eliminate odors. You simple place your kitchen waste in the bin, snap it shut and put it away. It will fit in just one square foot of space, which makes it perfect for under a sink or in a pantry. It sells for just over $30.

The Worm Factory 360 Composting Kit With Accessory Kit is a relatively new composting system, and is a worm based system, with four different tray options, with eight trays. It is easy to assemble, and has not only a complete instruction manual, but also extra tips are on the inside of the lid. It can house anywhere from eight to twelve thousand worms, which will consume up to 8lbs of food week. It is made in the USA, with post consumer recycled materials and will last up to thirty years with normal use. It comes with a 20 year warranty on parts and craftsmanship, and sells for $109.95 retail.