Gardening expert shares brilliant hack using old toilet paper rolls: 'This is amazing'

If you have a garden, you have likely experienced the benefits of compost. You may even have your own compost bin.

But a challenging part of keeping your compost in order is finding the proper balance between "greens" and "browns." One eco-friendly influencer shared their best advice for creating rich compost.

The scoop

Christine Lan (@eco.amical) is a TikTok creator who shares tips and tricks for your home and garden and living an eco-friendly life. In one clip, they show viewers how they maintain their compost bin. 

@eco.amical I love to compost for my garden 🌱 #sustainability #ecohacks #tiktokcreatorclass #gardening #spring #compost #soilhealth #soil ♬ This Could Be Us - Rae Sremmurd

The clip starts with the creator explaining that cardboard makes up more than 30% of landfills and how it can be useful in compost bins. Christine saves cardboard from egg cartons, toilet paper rolls, packing materials, and more. These pieces can be added to your compost to balance the organic materials.

While the clip shows the creator tossing the items in whole, they will break down faster if you tear them up first.

How it's helping

Using rich compost in your garden is a great way to increase your yields and have a healthier garden. You may also find yourself with less trash when you toss organic materials into your compost bin. 

The Sierra Club said that a healthy compost pile "requires a mix of dry, carbon-rich 'brown' items and wet, nitrogen-rich 'green' items." By mixing these items properly, you feed the microbes that break everything down into dirt.

The organization recommended "six inches of brown materials and two to four inches of green materials." It added that if your compost starts to stink, you should incorporate more browns. And don't forget to mix and rotate your compost. 

By using your compost to feed your garden, you stand to save hundreds of dollars each growing season by avoiding the grocery store. Growing your own food can yield around $600 worth of produce. 

What everyone's saying

TikTokers were thrilled to get compost help and inspiration and even shared a few tips.

Do you worry about how much food you throw away? Definitely 😭 Sometimes 😢 Not really 😞 Never 🤷 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

"I rip mine up so it's easier to break down and turn," suggested one person who uses cardboard in their compost. 

Someone else said, "This is amazing!"

Another commenter added, "I do this for my plants." 

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