Rant: I thought the city's free compost bins were a scam, then I weighed my trash for a month

Lee Lewis · 2026-10-17T20:20:03.42005+00:00

I live in Columbus and our city hands out free compost bins at the farmers market on High Street, and I figured it was just a feel good thing that would sit in my garage. Back in April I finally grabbed one and started tossing veggie scraps and coffee grounds in it instead of the trash can. After 4 weeks I weighed both bins, and my regular trash dropped from about 38 pounds a week to 24, which meant fewer bags and fewer trips to the curb. The compost itself took about 3 months before it looked like actual dirt, and I used it on my tomato plants with no problems. I was wrong about the city program and I'll say it out loud. For anyone in a town that offers one, what made you actually keep using the bin after the first couple weeks?

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Rant: I thought the city's free compost bins were a scam, then I weighed my trash for a month | Climate Action - Thought Shares