I do home composting.
kom-pos-TAD-jo — stress the third syllable; the 'g' before 'io' is soft, making a 'j' sound.
Use this to explain that you compost at home — a practice that is increasingly common and often incentivised in Italy. It is also useful when registering for a TARI reduction or when talking to neighbours curious about your garden compost bin.
Compostaggio domestico (home composting) allows households with garden space to compost their organic waste on site. Many Italian municipalities offer a reduction on the TARI (waste tax) for registered home composters, because they remove organic waste from the public collection stream.
Ho una compostiera in giardino.
I have a compost bin in the garden.
Compostiera is the Italian word for a compost bin or composter.
Il comune mi fa lo sconto sulla TARI perché composto.
The municipality gives me a discount on the waste tax because I compost.
Practical benefit; many comuni offer 20-30% TARI reduction.
Puoi compostare scarti di frutta, verdura, fondi di caffè e gusci d'uovo.
You can compost fruit scraps, vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, and eggshells.
Practical list of compostable items.
Italy has a national network of Compost Club associations that promote home composting. The municipality of Ferrara pioneered a community composting scheme (compostaggio di prossimità) in shared courtyards for apartment buildings without gardens, a model now copied by dozens of Italian cities.