I’ll have to begin with the bad news: if you fail to take your compost out, eventually, there will be odors. Don’t believe anyone who tells you otherwise.

Fundamentally, we’re talking about the process of decay by which food scraps become nourishment for future cycles of growth. It’s all good, but you’ll notice there’s goo in good…

Biology gets sticky and stinky. Mathematicians know it.

Having accepted that taking out the compost is at least as important as removing household trash, here are my simple ideas for a less messy, less smelly, less likely to leak composting experience.

I recommend:

• an 8-10 quart food storage container with tight fitting lid
• 4 gallon compostable liners for the kitchen compost pail
• a household paper shredder
• scrap paper and cardboard shipping boxes destined for recycling
• 13 gallon compostable liners for the curbside bin

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