Living in an apartment doesn't mean that you need to forgo the benefits of recycling and creating your own compost.
Many apartment dwellers raise beautiful container gardens full of vegetables and herbs for use in the kitchen.
Creating your own compost is a wonderful way to recycle kitchen scraps while getting back a rich fertilizer to increase the health and growth of your container plants.
There are two main ways to compost efficiently in an apartment.
The first way is with the use of a worm farm.
Worm bins are small containers where you can raise your own worms to eat your garbage.
Once they are built, they are very easy to maintain and only require the addition of organic material and occasionally more bedding to keep the worms happy and working for you.
Worm casting is a rich fertilizer that can be made into a casting tea or added directly back to your container garden.
Worm castings are rich in nutrients and healthy microorganisms that your plants need to flourish.
When run properly, a worm bin will not smell.
In an apartment it is best to keep the worm farm someplace dark and indoors like under the kitchen sink or in a closet close to the kitchen.
Then you simply bury the kitchen scraps every day and harvest the worm castings when they are ready.
The second option for composting in an apartment is by using a back porch compost tumbler.
Compost tumblers are more compact than compost piles used for larger homes and farms.
Using a tumbler will require more space than using a worm bin, however.
Generally you will need to locate the tumbler outside on the balcony or patio so a tumbler may not be ideal for those with a small area who are looking to maximize container garden space.
Tumblers are nice for those who do not want to keep up with caring for live animals, however.
If you travel frequently or don't feel like you will produce enough kitchen scraps to keep worms happy then a tumbler might be the answer.