Sure-Close Food Scrap Collection Container

My friend and neighbor Howard stopped by last week carrying a small bucket in his hand.  I was momentarily confused when he said he had something for me, and wondered what was inside.  The “small bucket” turned out to be the coolest of inventions: a food scrap collection container, called a Sure-Close, to be used along with an outdoor composting bin!

I’ve been talking about composting for years, and took an amateurish stab at it once, but this charming gift was the impetus I needed to get going.

The Sure-Close food scrap collection container features:

• A vented lid to allow moisture to evaporate and feet on the bottom allow for airflow.
• A lid that stays open for easy filling, but stays closed if you accidentally drop it.  They had me in mind when they added that feature.
• A lid that completely removes for ease of cleaning. I don’t know about you, but if something is difficult to keep clean, I’ll simply avoid using it. I like this feature.
• Several handles or grips.  Many containers look nice but are difficult to use.  The Sure-Close has three different grips, so it’s easy to lift, move and empty into your outdoor composting bin.

Why compost? From the Sure-Close website:

Most of the organic waste we produce comes from our kitchens as food scraps. A kitchen container that makes it easy for people to collect, store and transport their food scraps to the green bin goes a long way toward encouraging participation.

For Ottawa’s Green Bin program, the city wanted a kitchen container with ventilation in order to allow moisture to evaporate from organic waste. Without the moisture, contents are less likely to smell. Enter the Sure-Close kitchen container. Developed by two Ottawa-based companies, designers DW Product Development, and manufacturer Ottawa Mould Craft, this little beige beauty brings high-tech design and engineering to your counter top.

No more excuses.  This will be gardeningnirvana’s year of the compost.  I’m so excited.

Composting Recipes:

I jotted the following notes into a notebook two years ago so I would be ready to move from “accidental composter” to the real deal.

In half-inch thick layers:

• Combine 3 parts “brown” organic material to one part “green”
• 3 parts brown includes dried leaves, small twigs, etc.
• 1 part green includes grass, cut flowers, coffee grounds, egg shells, tea bags and fruit or vegetable peels
• Mix into a bin approximately 3′ x 3′ x 3′
• Add a small amount of moisture as needed and turn once a week.

Serves several plants.

Or, you can go with my friend Bob’s version:

•  Take it all, throw it in a pile, come back in a year.