Located on ten acres of vegetation, MDS Advertising strives to give back to the earth in every way possible. Along with our recycling program, we have also implemented a composting system to reduce our waste even more. Throughout the day, we gather coffee grounds, tea bags, leftover food scraps from employee lunches and other items to place in our compost bin. Although these simple things may sound like a small amount of waste, it all adds up over time. On average, each American throws away 1.3 pounds of food scraps each day. Over a year, all households in the United States produce enough food scrap waste to fill the size of a football field and reach 15 miles in height. By simply discarding our food scraps into the composting bin, our average amount of waste is greatly decreased. For such little time and effort, you can create the most mineral-rich nutrient to give back to the earth.

Why is composting important?
Composting greatly reduces the amount of materials sent to landfills. Almost 30% of the items sent to landfills are organic and could easily be composted at home. In addition to reducing landfills, finished compost is a nutrient-rich substance that can be returned to the soil to repair depleted soil environments.

How does it work?
Once purchased, a composter is filled with a base of carbon-rich materials (Autumn leaves) and nitrogen-rich materials (grass clippings). The interaction between the carbon and nitrogen materials causes a heat-producing chemical reaction. This heat allows aerobic bacteria to thrive and slowly decompose the contents. There are extensive lists of materials suitable for composting and just a few examples are fruits, vegetables, coffee grounds, tea bags, egg shells, nut shells and much more.

There are many different methods of composting and a few examples are sheet composting, vermicomposting and windrow composting. The most popular method, however, is using a compost bin. A composting bin is a cylindrical container made of hard plastic. Pictured below is our choice, the Sun-Mar Composting Bin, located outside the MDS studio.


The Sun-Mar Composting Bin is enclosed to nearly eliminate all odors and allows easy turning of the compost for aeration. It’s easy, clean and does all the work so you don’t have to!

We also recommend using a compost activator to help speed up the composting time. Although they are not necessary, compost activators contain billions of microorganisms specifically cultured for composting, proper energy sources and PH balancers that assure the success of the composting process.

What can you do?
Search the web or call your local gardening store to find out if they sell the composter that is right for you. If you live in the Austin area, visit the Eco-Wise website (www.ecowise.com) and the Natural Gardener website (www.naturalgardeneraustin.com), both locally owned and operated, to learn more about their selection of composters.