Compost for the environment

There is no “waste” in nature, dead plants and animals feed the ecosystem they are a part of as their nutrients are diffused through the trophic levels and back into the earth ready for new growth. In opposition to this the breakdown of food wastes in the waste stream is one of the leading causes of methane emissions from landfills. This powerful greenhouse gas is nearly 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide and is a major contributor to the environmental impact of landfills. Through separating these materials and properly composting food scraps not only are these emissions avoided but the nutrients that would have otherwise rotted away are captured and re-used in our communities' soils! Farms and gardens (and even houseplants) that utilize compost for nutrients benefit greatly from a fertilizer that stays within the soil feeding the local mycelium and microorganisms that create healthy soils for the plants we grow and consume. Traditional fertilizer instead requires large energy inputs to produce and then eventually runs off into our lakes, rivers and streams causing algal blooms and a host of undesirable consequences. Utilizing compost removes the negative impacts of food waste from our environment, adds valuable water retention and nutrients to our soils which in turn provide us with healthy food, all while removing the need for harmful chemical inputs into our environment. It’s all a cycle and composting keeps us a part of it!

https://porch.com/advice/expert-advice-food-waste