Your trip to Puerto Rico isn’t just a getaway—it’s a chance to reconnect with nature and leave inspired by the Island’s commitment to sustainable living. One simple, meaningful way to carry that inspiration home? Start your own compost at home!
No matter where you live, creating your own sustainable home garden is easy and rewarding. It transforms food waste into nutrient-rich soil that fuels plants, reduces household trash, and supports the planet through a zero waste lifestyle approach. By keeping organic materials out of landfills, this method helps reduce methane emissions—a potent greenhouse gas—while preserving our environment for future generations and supporting a shift toward more sustainable living. It also supports agriculture by returning valuable nutrients back into the soil, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers, and helping crops grow stronger and healthier.
Are you thinking about joining The Green Path but aren't sure how to start composting at home? We’ve got you covered! With expert guidance from Manuel Báez, owner of Finca Gaia—a family-owned farm in Dorado—you’ll learn how to set up your own compost system at home.
How to Compost at Home: Inspired by Puerto Rico’s Green Practices
1. Build Your Base
Start by gathering your materials and setting up the foundation of your home compost system. Install a small faucet near the bottom of one bucket—this will be your base for collecting nutrient-rich compost liquid. In the other two buckets, drill small holes in the bottom to allow drainage. Once that’s done, stack your setup with the faucet bucket at the bottom. Toss in a few small rocks to help prevent clogs—you’re off to a solid start!
2. Set Up Your Compost Bin and Habitat
Next, it's time to set up the compost habitat in the middle bucket. Add a mix of coconut shred, soil, and worms—your new hardworking crew. These tiny compost workers will turn what you once saw as waste into something rich, earthy, and full of life. Now comes the fun part (for some): feeding the worms with food scraps like fruit and veggie peels, coffee grounds, or wilted greens. Be sure to avoid processed foods, dairy, and meat. Once your compost bin fills up, collect the compost and use it to enrich your home garden—an easy way to support eco-friendly gardening at home.
3. Harvest and Rotate
Once the middle bucket fills up with rich compost, it’s time to collect it and give your garden a treat. Rotate the third bucket to the top of the stack and sprinkle in some of the finished compost to help kick off the next cycle. The worms will naturally migrate upward toward fresh food, and the process will keep going. Don’t forget to remove the liquid from the bottom bucket through the faucet you installed earlier. This nutrient-rich compost tea, known as “worm tea,” is a powerful natural fertilizer. Dilute it with water and feed it to your plants as part of your sustainable gardening routine—they’ll thank you.
4. Cover and Protect
Cover your compost setup with a mesh or a lid with small holes. This helps airflow while keeping flies and other pests away. With your system in place, you’re ready to turn that banana peel or leftover food into something beautiful for your garden, your community, and the place that inspires both your tropical memories and your zero waste lifestyle back home: Puerto Rico.
