Why You Should Line Your Compost Bin With Paper Towels

Nobody likes emptying the compost bin. If you’re unlucky, something sticks to the bottom, forcing you to hover over a heap of stinky, rotting organic matter while you try to coax the contents out. But you don’t need pricey compost bags to solve this problem — regular old paper towels work just as well.

If your compost bin is constantly overflowing, this one’s for you: Just fold one or two paper towels so they’ll fit neatly in the bottom of your (freshly-cleaned) bucket, then drop them in there. It’s a tiny little hack that makes a disproportionately big difference: The layer of towels keeps solid stuff from sticking to the bottom of the bucket, but more importantly, it gets saturated with compost liquid, which makes it nice and slippery. When you empty the bucket, that wet, slippery towel at the bottom of the pile slides right out, along with everything on top of it. And since paper towels are biodegradable, you can just leave them in the compost and let them do their thing.

This hack also keeps the bin itself from getting truly nasty, which is a huge perk. The less food left on the inside of the bin, the less you have to scrub off — and the less likely you are to wind up with a permanently stained, funky bin. This is a huge perk for both you and your plumbing, especially in the long run.

Paper towels may not transform compost duty into your favourite activity, but there’s no downside to making hated chores a little easier. The next time you clean your compost bucket, be sure to put some paper towels in the bottom when you’re done. You’ll be very glad you did.