What is Composting?
Composting is a form of waste recycling where organic materials are broken down into nutrient rich soil
What can be composted?
This graph represents the average amount of waste each town produces in the US every year. About 64% of material thrown into landfills can be composted
Image from: www.epa.gov
Wood
Food
Other
Paper and Paperboard
Yard Trimmings
Graph Note
MSW= Municipal Solid Waste
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The United States wastes more food than any other country in the world and is responsible for nearly 80 billion pounds of food wasted per year (219 pounds per person every year).
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The average family four throws away about $1600 per year in produce.
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Donating excess food to food banks can help reduce food waste.
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Organic materials can be broken down by microorganisms and turned into nutrient rich compost (soil).
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Food scraps can be fed to farm animals.
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Organic materials can be brought to anaerobic digestors where it is turned into energy and digestate. Digestate is a nutrient rich organic fertilizer.
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Compost is a natural fertilizer, weed suppressor, and helps creates an optimal environment for plants to grow.
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Soil with higher nutrients yields food with higher nutrient content.
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Compost has high water retention making plants less prone to drought.
