Five Reasons to Compost #1

Making a food waste pickup PLUS a compost delivery....

1. Composting reduces waste, makes us less dependent on landfills, and decreases greenhouse gas emissions.

Every day, the average American generates roughly four and a half pounds of waste – that’s about 1,600 pounds per year per person. With the recycling rate at around 34%, and about 13% of the waste stream being incinerated, the majority of this waste – approximately 53%, or roughly 136 million tons – is sent to landfill every year (source). The largest component of landfilled municipal solid waste (MSW) is food scraps, accounting for approximately 22% of municipal discards in the landfill.

Organic matter in the landfill decomposes anaerobically, meaning without access to oxygen. This process is different from aerobic decomposition, which is how organic matter naturally decomposes. When food breaks down without oxygen, it produces greenhouse gases (primarily methane), which can escape the landfill and accumulate in the atmosphere, contributing to global warming. In fact, MSW landfills are the third-largest emitter of human-related methane gas in the United States.

Composting, on the other hand, mimics nature’s method of decomposition, allowing organic material to break down aerobically. Thus, composting greatly reduces our overall waste being sent to landfills, and also cuts greenhouse gas emissions.

Follow along… we will continue with the reasons to compost on our next blog entry…