Finally got my neighbor on board with composting after 8 months of hinting

I've been trying to get my next-door neighbor in Austin to start composting since last spring, leaving little flyers and talking it up every chance I got. This week she texted me a photo of her first bucket of kitchen scraps with a pile of leaves on top, and I actually cheered out loud. Anyone else have a conversion take way longer than you expected?

2 comments

2 Comments

skyler_mitchell3d ago

I mean I get the excitement but honestly eight months of hinting at someone to start composting feels a little pushy. Some people just don't have the time or space for it, or maybe they just aren't into the whole rotting food thing. I tried to get my roommate on board and after three months of me leaving bins around the kitchen she finally told me straight up she thinks it's gross and attracts bugs. Not everyone is going to be into this stuff and that's okay. I'd rather someone say no thank you up front than feel pressured into it and then stop doing it after a week because they never really wanted to.

tessa3943d ago

Oh come on @skyler_mitchell, I gotta push back on this one. Eight months of gentle hints is barely anything compared to the state of the planet right now. If someone can't handle a little nagging about composting, maybe they need to grow up a bit. Your roommate saying it's gross and attracts bugs is such a lazy excuse - there are closed bins and countertop composters that literally eliminate that problem. People act like being asked to try something new is some huge burden, when really it's just about caring enough to make a small change. Sometimes a little pushiness is exactly what people need to get past their own excuses.