There's an old saying in the gardening world: "Composting is nature's way of recycling." Green thumbs aside, if you're really serious about waste reduction, you can't look beyond the benefits of composting. Food scraps and yard trimmings-otherwise known as "organic wastes"-make up nearly a quarter of the American waste stream, and nearly all of this can be composted.
Organic waste is basically comprised of materials that were once living, like banana peels, broccoli stems, eggshells, leaves, grass clippings or even coffee grounds. When organic waste is buried in a landfill, not only does it wind up releasing methane and taking up valuable space, but we also lose a natural and valuable resource that can help beautify gardens, lawns, even window boxes and houseplants. You see, most organic materials can be made into compost-a dark crumbly soil conditioner that is naturally formed when organic material decomposes. Compost is a great source of minerals and nutrients that fortify plant health.
Despite common perceptions, composting isn't just for country folk! Whether you live on a sprawling hundred-acre farm or in a small studio apartment in the city, you can probably find a way to compost. You could set up a compost pile or bin in a backyard, on a balcony, or even in a dark cupboard or closet. For those who'd rather not deal with it at home, there are plenty of cities and towns that offer compost drop-off programs. To learn about what specific compost programs are in place in your region, check out this EPA directory. It's not the most thorough resource, but it's the best currently available. As always, it's best to call your local officials and ask around.
If you do decide to give composting a try, you'll find there's really not much to it, and many folks who make the effort find great rewards in being a part of such a natural recycling process (And if you keep gardens or tend to plants, the rich, loamy results will provide more immediate, tangible rewards).
A nice list of benefits provided by compost is provided by the EPA:.
- Suppress plant diseases and pests.
- Reduce or eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers.
- Promote higher yields of agricultural crops.
- Facilitate reforestation, wetlands restoration and habitat revitalization efforts by amending contaminated, compacted and marginal soils.
- Cost-effectively remediate soils contaminated by hazardous waste.
- Remove solids, oil, grease and heavy metals from stormwater runoff.
- Capture and destroy 99.6% of industrial volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) in contaminated air.
- Provide cost savings of at least 50% over conventional soil, water and air pollution remediation technologies, where applicable.
In fact, the process is relatively simple, as the only true ingredients necessary for a successful composting operation are food scraps, air, water, and a base material such as dry leaves or soil. ....read more
