Shared, community, or apartment-building composting: a practical guide

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A compost bin right outside the apartment building, a few wooden bins in the corner of a small park, neighbors running into each other on a Saturday morning with their compost pails: shared composting has taken root in many towns and cities. It is a great solution for people without a yard, and often a wonderful way to bring neighbors together.

How does a shared compost bin work, how can you set one up in your building, and what rules should you follow to keep it clean and effective? Here is our practical guide.

Three forms of local composting

There are three forms of local composting: home composting, at your own place; shared composting, among several households; and on-site composting at institutions, where a school, cafeteria, or nursing home processes its own food scraps.

Shared composting itself comes in two forms:

• the building compost bin, set up in the courtyard or green spaces of a residential building and reserved for its residents;
• the community compost bin, usually run by a local group in a community garden or public space, and open to all local residents during set drop-off hours.

If there is a community compost bin near you, you often just need to sign up with the group that runs it. Some sites are full and keep a waiting list. If that happens, it is time to consider a compost bin in your own building.

Setting up a compost bin in your building: the steps

The process varies from one town to the next, but the same steps come up almost every time:

1. Gather some motivated neighbors. Ideally, bring together 10 to 15 families; some cities require at least 7 participating households.
2. Contact your city or county. Local government is responsible for food and yard waste, and many cities and counties support projects like this with equipment, training, and follow-up. Some only accept applications during campaigns with fixed dates.
3. Get approval from the building's management. In a condo building, you will need the approval of the condo association board or the owners' meeting; in public housing, that of the landlord and, if there is one, the tenants' association.
4. Choose the location. The bins sit directly on the soil, a little away from windows. For example, a minimum of 54 sq ft (5 m²) of outdoor space is sometimes required.
5. Appoint site volunteers and plan from the start where the compost will be used.

Did you know?

Many households still have no suitable way to compost their food scraps. Every new shared compost bin means dozens of households can benefit.

The site volunteer and the master composter

A shared compost bin depends on people, not just on bins. The site volunteer is a resident who donates their time. They advise their neighbors, keep an eye on how the compost is doing, and organize the harvest. It is best to have at least two, so they can cover for each other during vacations. Site volunteers can take a one-day training course.

The master composter is a trained professional, appointed by the local government or a local organization. They help choose the location, launch the site, and establish good habits. Ideally, this support lasts at least a year after launch; sometimes it is limited to eight months, followed by an annual visit.

The equipment: input, maturing, and dry material

A shared site works with several bins, each with a clearly defined role:

• the input bin, which receives food scraps day by day;
• the maturing bin, where the compost rests once the first bin is full;
• the dry-material bin (wood chips, dead leaves, shavings), essential for covering each addition.

Plan for at least two bins, one of them for dry material. Some sites install three, for example two 159-gallon (600 L) bins and one 106-gallon (400 L) bin, and give each household a 1.8-gallon (7 L) compost pail. As for tools, an aerator such as the Brass'Compost lets you mix in new additions without turning the whole bin, and a compost collection cart makes the group harvest easier. On the diagram: the input bin (1), the maturing bin (2), and the dry-material bin (3).

The rules for what goes in: stricter than at home

In a shared compost bin, dozens of people drop off their scraps, often without knowing one another. To prevent odors and rodents, each site adopts a set of rules, posted on the bins. These rules are often more cautious than at home: some sites, for example, keep meat, fish, bones, dairy, sauces, bread, and large quantities of citrus out of the bin. We explain why these items are debated in our guide on citrus, meat, bread, and pet litter.

Good habits, wherever you are:

• empty your food scraps in loose, without a bag, even a "compostable" one;
• cover each addition with dry material, roughly one bucket of dry material for every bucket of food scraps;
• mix lightly on the surface if the site asks you to;
• stick to the drop-off hours of a community compost bin;
• when in doubt, ask the site volunteer rather than dropping it in.

If flies or rodents show up anyway, our guide on compost bin pests will help you find the cause.

Willy's tip

Combine your trip to the compost bin with an errand you already run, like picking up bread or heading off to work: dropping off your scraps becomes a habit, and your compost pail never overflows.

Keeping the site going

A shared compost bin that works well is a lively one. A few get-togethers are enough: a group turning session now and then, a shared harvest in the spring, an up-to-date sign. It is also a chance to explain the rules to newcomers.

Spring is the ideal time to get people involved. Many areas hold open houses and composting events at this time of year, and some countries run national awareness campaigns: check with your city or your local waste service to find out what is happening near you. It is a good opportunity to invite your neighbors to discover the site.

What to do with the finished compost?

First, check that it is mature: dark, crumbly, with a pleasant forest-floor smell. Our simple tests are explained in the guide How to tell if your compost is ready.

The compost is then shared among the participants, for their houseplants, balcony planters, or the building's green spaces. That is why you need to plan these uses from the start: some local governments will not support a site that does not have enough of them. Local rules sometimes also specify that this compost must not be sold or given away, since it has not been tested. Check the rules with your city or county.

Key takeaways

A successful shared compost bin comes down to three things: trained site volunteers, clear rules, and dry material always on hand.

In summary

Whether it is outside your apartment building or in your neighborhood, shared composting lets people without a yard put their food scraps to good use close to home. To set one up, gather a few neighbors, contact your city or county, get approval from your building's management, and appoint at least two site volunteers. After that, it all comes down to simple, clearly posted rules for what goes in, a supply of dry material, and a little community spirit. If there is no shared option near you, our guide Composting in an apartment presents the other options, such as the worm composter.

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