Origins

Composting - decomposing organic waste into nutrient-rich soil amendment - gained mainstream appeal 2016-2020 as part of zero-waste and sustainable living movements.

Why It Became Trendy (2016-2020)

Drivers:

• Zero-waste lifestyle movement
• Climate change awareness
• Gardening boom (need for soil)
• Apartment-friendly systems (Bokashi, worm bins)
• Municipal composting programs

Instagram growth: 200K posts (2016) → 1.5M+ posts (2020).

Types of Composting (2017-2020)

Outdoor (traditional):

• Backyard compost piles/bins
• Tumbler bins (faster decomposition)
• 3-bin systems (advanced)

Indoor/apartment-friendly:

• Bokashi bins (fermentation, no odor)
• Worm bins/vermicomposting (produces worm castings)
• Countertop electric composters (Lomi, Mill)

Municipal:

• Curbside compost pickup (San Francisco, Seattle, NYC)
• Drop-off sites

What to Compost

Green materials (nitrogen):

• Fruit/vegetable scraps
• Coffee grounds
• Fresh grass clippings

Brown materials (carbon):

• Dry leaves
• Cardboard
• Paper

Never compost:

• Meat, dairy (odor, pests)
• Oils/fats
• Pet waste

The Learning Curve (2018-2020)

Beginners faced:

• Smelly compost (too much nitrogen)
• Fruit flies (exposed food scraps)
• Slow decomposition (wrong ratios)
• Not enough space (small apartments)

Electric Composter Boom (2021+)

Lomi ($500), Mill ($400+) offered:

• Countertop convenience
• 4-24 hour cycles
• No smell, no pests
• Criticism: high electricity use, price

Cultural Impact

Composting represented guilt reduction - turning guilt about food waste into productive soil. Made sustainability visible and actionable.

Sources

• EPA composting data (municipal programs 2015-2020)
• Lomi/Mill Kickstarter campaigns (2020-2021)
• r/Composting subreddit (180K members, 2020)