Composting And Its Benefits

When was the last time you took your unfinished dinner and slid the remains into a compost bin? Every time you have leftovers from any meal, they should be put into a compost bin rather than the trash. Food scraps in landfills are a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions due to how they decompose.

The Natural Process of Creating Compost           

Composting is the natural process of recycling organic matter. For optimal compost layering, first start with the browns which are dead leaves, branches, and twigs. Next are the greens, which include grass clippings, vegetable waste, fruit waste, coffee grounds and more. And finally, the blue, which is just water and air.

There is a food chain that goes on inside the compost environment: Organic residues are eaten by primary consumers such as bacteria, fungi, and worms. Beetles, soil flatworms and nematodes are examples of secondary consumers. The tertiary consumers include centipedes, beetles, and ants. All of these organisms help the compost reach its full potential to become “black gold,” as it is referred to by farmers.

According to R. Noble and S. J. Roberts research from 2003, there are 7 different mechanisms in composting. These are heat, pH levels, enzymes, specific chemicals, microorganisms, microbes, and pathogens. These mechanisms create physical, biological, and chemical processes that make up this procedure of naturally recycling organic matter.

Compost Redirects Organic Waste from Landfills

Composting is important because it redirects organic waste from landfills. When organic matter gets sent to the landfill, it undergoes anaerobic decomposition which is when it is broken down by organisms that do not need free flowing oxygen. During this procedure, biogas, made up of 50% methane and 50% carbon dioxide, is produced. Both of these gasses contribute heavily to climate change.

Organic waste makes up 28% of what we throw away on average. The average cost of processing waste in the United States is around $55 per ton. This might not seem like much, but the United States alone generates more than 268 million tons of waste costing $14 billion. If everyone composted, around $3.5 billion, or about 66 million tons of organic waste, could be diverted from the landfills.  

Urban Composting Can Make A Big Impact

In 1996, a successful project was started in San Francisco that made it mandatory to separate compost, recyclables, and trash from each other. Only four years later, San Francisco had diverted 50% of their waste from landfills and by 2012 it was an astonishing 80%. That’s around 90,000 metric tons of carbon emissions every year which is about the same as annual greenhouse gas emissions from 20,000 vehicles.

Compost Creates Healthy Soil

 Compost is also great for yards and gardens. It prevents erosion and adds nutrients to the soil such as carbon and nitrogen which encourages plant growth and photosynthesis while retaining water at the same time. Compost also houses helpful organisms that can aerate soil, repel some plant diseases, and convert nitrogen to a usable form. With only a little bit of attention and time, the decision to compost can not only help our environment on a large scale, it can help you right in your own backyard.

How We Can Spread the Message

            There are many ways we are working to encourage composting. One way is through laws that support composting such as SB 1383. This law applies to K-12 public and charter schools, school districts, and county offices of education and it requires them to keep up commercial recycling and compost programs. Not only does this divert organic waste from schools, but it also helps teach the students about the importance of composting and why they should also do it at their own homes. In May, we celebrate International Compost Awareness Week where communities, schools, government, and businesses plan events that promote and celebrate composting. Good composting habits can also be easily spread using social media and word of mouth.

            Taking the small step of separating organic waste and turning it into compost can make all the difference in the bigger picture of world health and there is no better time to start than the present. Don’t wait, start composting today!

Sacha Fontaine, Freshman, Terra Linda High School, San Rafael, CA

To learn more about why it is important to compost, click here https://www.paintedbins.org/the-problem

Works Cited (MLA)

Chong, Ashley. “5 Benefits of Composting for Your Urban Garden.” Green Philly, 21 May 2013, www.thegreencities.com/lifestyle/5-benefits-of-composting. Accessed 27 Sept. 2022.

“Composting at Home.” US EPA, 7 July 2022, www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home. Accessed 27 Sept. 2022.

Hashisaki, Emiko. “Composting in Marin.” Zero Waste Marin, 13 May 2022, zerowastemarin.org/residents/composting-info-courses/composting-in-marin. Accessed 27 Sept. 2022.

Hu, Shelia. “Composting 101.” NRDC, 20 July 2020, www.nrdc.org/stories/composting-101. Accessed 27 Sept. 2022.

International Compost Awareness Week. www.compostfoundation.org/ICAW/ICAW-Home. Accessed 27 Sept. 2022.

Planet Natural. “Science of Composting.” Planet Natural Research Center, 7 May 2018, www.planetnatural.com/composting-101/science