My homeownership adventure has taken me on yet another new path.

After discovering the joys of ripping up subfloor and installing an undermount microwave, I have now used some old two-by-fours to build a compost box in my back yard.

It's modestly sized - three feet by three feet and about 16 inches tall. But in the long run I hope it will not only produce some top quality soil for my garden, but reduce my REACT bill too.

Compositing is arguably even more friendly to the environment than recycling. In Saskatoon, for example, 32 per cent of what goes into the landfill is either food or yard waste.

You can find a huge variety of composting boxes for sale, but I went with a do-it-yourself design I found at the Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council website.

Simply fill the box with a mix of green material (kitchen waste, green plants, or grass clippings) and brown material (dead leaves, dead plants, woodchips, or shredded paper products) and keep it damp. 

Drilling a few holes to ensure air flow is a good idea, and adding a bit of soil and a few worms can't hurt either.

I added my first collection kitchen waste this morning - some eggshells, wilted coleslaw, strawberries I tragically didn't eat in time, and coffee grounds and filters. 

Now all I have to do is wait.

...

This could take a while.