We shall all compost!

Have you ever noticed how heavy your trash bag becomes after putting leftovers and food waste in there? A remarkable share of our trash bin content is not carbage at all but compostable organic waste. It’s precious – it can become new soil, and we desperately need it.

In some countries, states, and cities, it is mandatory to separate your compostable waste (food scraps, etc.) Unfortunately, this does not apply everywhere. Think about this. In 2015, the USA incinerated or threw to landfills 50 million tons of compostable waste! Since 2015 a few big cities have made composting mandatory, but there is a long path in front of us to fix this situation.

So, why is it so bad to throw the organic materials into the landfill? Organic material does not decompose in landfills because there is not enough oxygen and light. Instead, what happens is degradation, and that creates methane. Unfortunately, methane is a much more potent greenhouse gas than CO2.

Did you know that Earth is running out of its padding? When we compost, we create nutrient-rich new soil. It can be used as a fertilizer, instead of those synthetic chemical ones that produce nitrogen dioxide – which again is a potent greenhouse gas. The new soil works as a carbon sponge. It enriches the existing one and decreases the erosion as the water absorbs better into the ground through the fresh layers.

So there is not a good reason not to compost if there is any possibility to do so. We can only hope that countries and states will implement a well working and free composting systems. While we wait, we have other options – private composting service providers. Here are few examples from Greater Boston / Massachusetts region. (I don’t benefit from introducing specific companies, but I hope the Earth will):

https://blackearthcompost.com

https://www.citycompost.com

https://garbagetogarden.org

http://www.offbeetcompost.com

My family has been using Black Earth Compost’s services for over a year now, and we have been happy with this solution. It is a nice feeling to realize that by separating our food scraps, the whole family creates landfill waste only 50% of the amount it used to be. We also got back the soil that had been created from our organic waste, and it was beneficial for our garden.

I challenge all of you to explore your options to protect our planet and the future of our children!

_{Featured image: Ben Kerckx Pixabaystä}