Composting is an easy, inexpensive, natural process that allows you to use your food scraps to help save the earth. The organic waste that we send to landfills produces greenhouse gases (primarily methane) that are harmful to the environment. In fact, Municipal landfills are the third-largest emitter of human-related methane gas in the United States. One way to help reduce this gas is to start composting your organic waste.
Whether you have a yard at home or you live in a tiny apartment in a big city, there are several composting options to explore. You can even choose to compost indoors or outdoors. If composting at home, you can use it to help your garden and soil thrive. If you donate your waste to compost with a local program, you are helping your community and saving the earth simultaneously. All sound like win-win scenarios to me!
I store my food scraps in the freezer using compostable bags or a plastic bin then drop them off with Grow NYC every Saturday at the local farmers market. If you want to make it a social affair, join my friends and me for Compost & Coffee, TBD but maybe coming soon!
Below are 10 reasons to start composting now and links to additional resources on how you can get started.
- Saves on costly landfill space
- Helps fight climate change by cutting down on carbon emission from hauling trash long distances and reduces methane emissions generated by anaerobic decomposition of food waste in landfills.
- Becomes a valuable fertilizer that returns nutrients to soil and helps plants thrive. Some compost centers even redistribute to community gardens, neighborhood parks, and other local areas.
- Supports local farmers who can use the compost for cheaper since it won’t need to be shipped far
- Supports sustainable agriculture by providing an alternative to chemical fertilizers
- Doesn’t smell bad, as long as you avoid dairy and meat products
- Doesn’t require a yard
- Requires minimum time and effort
- Composting is easy
- Composting is cool!
Learn more about composting at home
Find a compost center in New York City
Explore more composting resources at Earth911.com
Search for a compost pick up service near you with CompostNow
If you have more resources to add to the list, please drop a comment below!
