While regular commercial compost pickup is more common in certain parts of the country like Vermont, a lot of urban areas are not set up for wide-scale composting. In those places, it really falls on the consumer to watch over their compost until drop-off days.
Keeping your compost scraps in the freezer before sending them off to a facility can help minimize any funk. “Keeping it in the freezer prevents it from smelling or bugs or anything like that,” Jhánneu Roberts, the founder of Low Waste Beauty, says of her experience storing compost in her L.A. apartment. She’ll also get another use out of vegetable scraps by cooking them down in water to make a broth before tossing them in her pile.