Many home gardeners and urban composters struggle with knowing which materials are suitable for composting, especially when tailoring their compost to specific plants. Adding incorrect materials can lead to poor compost quality, unpleasant smells, or even harm to plants. This gap in knowledge often discourages people from composting effectively, despite its environmental benefits.

How It Could Work

One way to simplify composting is through a mobile app that identifies a plant (via scanning or manual input) and provides customized recommendations on compostable materials. For instance, scanning a tomato plant might return suggestions like "good: coffee grounds, vegetable scraps; avoid: meat, oily foods." The app could use existing plant recognition technology and a database of composting guidelines, ensuring accuracy while making the process intuitive for users. It might also offer troubleshooting tips, such as balancing carbon and nitrogen ratios or managing odor issues.

Potential Users and Benefits

This tool could be particularly useful for:

• Home gardeners who want to optimize compost for their plants.
• Urban composters with limited space, needing precise guidance.
• Beginners who find composting rules overwhelming.

Over time, user feedback could refine the database, improving recommendations for different climates or soil types.

Possible Next Steps

A basic version might start with a small set of common plants and simple composting rules, using open-source plant identification APIs. Early testing with gardening communities could validate demand before expanding features, such as location-specific advice or integration with composting hardware.

Such an app could lower the barrier to effective composting, turning kitchen scraps into garden gold with minimal guesswork.