When winter settles in, life slows down at the orchard. The trees rest, the fields quiet, and the work shifts from harvest to care and planning. At home, winter can bring a similar pause, especially when it comes to composting. Frozen ground and cold temperatures often make it feel like food scraps have nowhere to go but the trash.
The good news is that winter does not mean giving up on reducing food waste. It simply means adjusting expectations and choosing what works for the season.
One of the biggest misconceptions about composting is that it only works in warm weather. In reality, composting continues year-round, even when temperatures drop. Microbial activity slows in the cold, and piles may freeze, but the material does not go to waste. It simply waits.
If you already compost outdoors, winter can be a time to focus less on turning and more on layering. Adding food scraps along with dry materials like leaves, straw, or shredded cardboard helps insulate the pile. When spring arrives and temperatures rise, decomposition picks right back up.
If you have problems with critters getting into your scraps since they sit unattended for longer periods of time, you could explore options such as putting up a chicken wire fence or temporarily keeping the compost in a large trash can with a lid.
And if tending an outdoor pile feels overwhelming in winter, that is okay. There are other ways to keep food scraps out of the landfill.
Option 1: Reduce Food Scraps Before They Start
Winter is a great time to focus on using what you have.
- Save vegetable trimmings for homemade broth
- Store produce properly to extend freshness
- Plan meals around storage-friendly foods like apples, squash, and potatoes
- Think of creative ways to incorporate leftovers or scraps into new dishes
Using more of your food means fewer scraps to manage in the first place. One of my favorite things to do is save all my leftover and stale bread scraps in a plastic gallon bag in the freezer. When the bag is full, I pull it out and treat my family to a delicious french toast casserole! My favorite recipe is here. You can also find several other great recipe ideas that use up leftovers here on our blog!
Option 2: Freeze Scraps Until Spring
Freezing food scraps is one of the simplest winter solutions.
- Store vegetable scraps, fruit peels, and coffee grounds in a sealed container or bag
- Keep them in the freezer to prevent odors
- Add everything to your compost pile once temperatures warm up
This option works well for households that want to pause outdoor composting without throwing scraps away, and who don’t produce a huge amount of compostable waste in the first place.
Option 3: Try Indoor Composting Options
For those with limited outdoor space, indoor composting can be a good alternative.
- Countertop compost bins with compostable liners
- Small indoor bins for plant-based scraps only
- Worm composting for those interested in a more hands-on option (see pictures below!)
Indoor systems allow you to reduce waste without stepping outside in freezing weather.
Worm Composting Photos Courtesy of Douglas Bull
Option 4: Use Community Composting Programs
Many towns and cities offer year-round composting options.
- Curbside compost pickup
- Community drop-off sites
- Farmers markets that accept food scraps
Checking local options can make winter composting much more convenient.
If all else fails, remember that Winter composting does not need to be perfect. Frozen scraps are fine, and will eventually thaw and resume composting. A slower process is still a successful one. Doing something, even something small, is better than doing nothing at all, and these winter food scrap tips can help you to take your first step!
Food waste does not pause in winter, and neither does the opportunity to care for the land. Small, thoughtful habits during the colder months help build healthier soil, reduce landfill waste and support the next growing season. Even winter can still be a meaningful time to care for where our food comes from and where it goes, and these simple habits can make a lasting difference.