).png)
Sometimes no matter how hard we try, food waste happens. Whether its a power outage in the middle of summer or a family emergency pulling you away from home, refrigerator cleanouts can result in the discovery of a spoiled foods. What do you do? Toss it in the trash or compost it? I used to trash it until I learned how much of a difference I can make by composting instead. It not only benefits the planet but helps me in my gardens too! It's really not hard to start if you're interested and there's more than one way to do it.
There are a few big differences between composting and landfilling. Landfills are designated areas that we literally just fill sky high with trash as a way to get rid of things we don't want, where as composting is a form of recycling materials we can no longer use into something very desirable. When food products go into a landfill they are often covered by other mounds of trash which cut off their access to oxygen. In the absence of oxygen there is a bacteria that takes over the decomposition of that food but as a by product it creates methane. Methane is at least 28X more potent in terms of greenhouse gas effects than carbon dioxide. Greenhouse gases are essentially the gasses that trap heat in the atmosphere and therefore warm the planet, but not in a good way. When exposed to air, disposed food products are broken down by a microorganisms, bacteria, and even insects into nutrient dense soil. Composting still creates methane as does the decomposition of any organic material but it is substantially less than the anaerobic process taking place in landfills so its effects on contributing to the warming of the planet is considerably lessened.
4 Big Benefits of Composting
Reduces Methane Emissions
By composing instead of landfilling, you are reducing your methane emissions which in turn slows the build up of greenhouse gases therefore aiding in positive climate change. This directly lowers your footprint.
Practicing Sustainability
Improves Soil Health
Saves you Money
At this point hopefully you can see that composting is a very impactful way to fight the climate crisis, but how hard is it to do? Well, as it turns out, its not that challenging to get started and there are actually quite a few options and levels of involvement you can decide from. There are even different solutions based on your living situation from a camper van to little studio apartment.
Just like meal delivery services, there are composting pick up services. In my area we have a small business that actually goes out to your home to drop off 5 gallon buckets then on a schedule like clock work they will return to pick up the bucket with all your scraps and swap it with an empty one. They do the composting for you! Depending on where you live, your town or city may even offer this service along with curbside recycling and trash pick up. Other areas you may need to drive to your local transfer station to do composting drop off. Sometimes the services are free, paid for by taxes, or available for a small charge. If you live in the Rockland, Maine area you may want to check out Scrap Dogs. While I do my own composting at home, I have worked with them before at a past job and they are great people on a stellar mission.
If you are interested in starting your own compost at home then there's a few different ways you can get started. I have been composting for the last 4 years. I purchased a double barrel rotating composter and at the time I believe it was $70. It was fairly simple to assemble and even easier to use. When I wanted to start composting I tried to find a used bin online but with no luck in my area. I will not lie and say it was easy peasy getting started because I wasn't really sure what to do at first. I thought you just threw the food in the bin and viola it magically turns to dirt after a while. While its not that complicated, there are a few factors.
The art of composting relies on the balance of nitrogen-rich materials like food scraps and green lawn clippings with carbon-rich materials like twigs, sticks, dead leaves, sawdust, and paper or cardboard scraps. The balance however is not 50 50 but rather 1 to 3 with carbon-rich materials being the bulk of that ratio. It's important to maintain this balance because too much nitrogen can lead to a slowly decomposing and stinky mess whereas lots of carbon materials can lead to a fluffier more quickly degrading and clean compost. Other factors to consider are aeration and moisture content. On really hot days or dry climates, your compost may need a little watering. You don't want to fully saturate it but keeping it slightly damp will prevent it from becoming hydrophobic as well as allow it to keep doing its thing in the best conditions. Aeration methods will vary based on the manor in which you compost.
There is the rotating barrels, like I have, that you simply add your layers of goodies too and rotate once every 3-4 days. Of course this varies depending on the conditions. I try to turn my compost once or twice a week when its not frozen during winter of course, and/or each time I add new material to it so that it can be evenly dispersed. These tumblers often have small holes throughout that allow for extra ventilation as well. Then there are backyard piles that often are fences in using old pallets to help keep animals out as the compost is much more exposed. These will need manual turning with a shovel or pitchfork. The aeration of the material is not just for oxygenation but also heat management which are both essential to the microbes doing the work to break it all down. Dedicating a thermometer to read heat levels and taking a little bit of time really learn and understand the cycles of composting might be a good rainy day activity if you are looking for quick turn around. If its not in your schedule, your compost might just take a little longer than usual to fully turn into ready to use nutrient dense soil for your plants.
There are a few other options if a rotating barrel or a yard pile don't sound like they are your speed. The first is vermicomposting! This is one I have always wanted to try but never got around to doing. Maybe someday. It is the process of using worms, specifically red wigglers, to decompose organic waste into nutrient filled soil, worm castings, and worm tea. Worm tea is the liquid that drains from the mixture which can be used like a liquid fertilizer. Next up we have in home electronic composters. These machines take the food scraps and with a push of a button can transform the product into fresh soil ready for use within just a matter of hours. While the concept of these I find wonderful, they do generate some waste in regards to electricity consumption, materials used to make them, as well as filters needed for them to process correctly. They are often not very affordable.
If you do decide to start your own composting adventure, please do note that some items are rated for home composting, while others are rated for industrial composting. Larger facilities can control certain variables that can more readily breakdown certain items. This process is something that is going to be messy at times but just embrace it. You are literally working WITH nature instead of against it and making something wonderful.
Comments