Compost is cool. There I said it. As we look at ways to reduce our waste stream, composting should rank right up there with the big three: reduce, reuse, and recycle. In my family’s lives it certainly does. We normally compost pretty much anything that is organic and crosses our threshold or otherwise comes within reach. And we are not above liberating compostables when we think they will end up in the garbage and landfill.

That means everything from eggshells to dust bunnies and worn-out t shirts to wet cardboard; it all wends its way to the pile. We have not made the leap to composting humanure or unwelcome house guests, but the former is under discussion and the latter is a long held desire. We also don’t add meat and dairy to the mix, but might if we can figure out a way to keep mound temperatures high enough to cook the associated pathogens and harmful critters.

All this is good, but the thing about composting is that like many behaviors designed to reduce personal impacts on the Planet, it makes you think. It makes you think about what you buy and how it is packaged. It makes you think about how the component parts of a particular product are dealt with ultimately. It is an exercise that makes you acutely sensitive to acquiring what is best for you, your compost pile, and your trash profile. In short, once you get into the compost habit and become fully vested, you begin to see the world through a compost lens. Carrot peelings, soiled paper towels and even belly button lint suddenly become assets in your life.