Composting - Food-Waste Recycling for our Soils
What is Composting?
Composting is the process of breaking down organic waste, like food scraps and yard trimmings, into nutrient-rich soil through the action of microorganisms, heat, and time. It reduces waste and enriches soil for gardening or farming.
Benefits of Composting
Composting offers numerous benefits for both the environment and gardening. It helps reduce landfill waste by diverting organic materials like food scraps and yard trimmings, which would otherwise contribute to damaging methane emissions. The resulting nutrient-rich compost improves soil health, enhances water retention, and reduces the need for chemical fertilizers. Additionally, composting strengthens soil structure, preventing erosion and enabling the soil to absorb carbon from the atmosphere. Overall, it is a cost-effective and eco-friendly practice that enriches the environment while supporting healthy plant growth.
Challenges of Composting
Composting can present several challenges, particularly for beginners or in certain environments. Maintaining the right balance of carbon (browns) and nitrogen (greens) is essential for efficient decomposition, but can be difficult to achieve. Improper moisture levels, either too dry or too wet, can hinder the composting process. Managing odour, pests, and contamination from non-organic materials can also create issues. Additionally, composting requires space and regular attention, such as turning the pile to ensure aeration. In urban or small living spaces, finding the room and time for composting can be a barrier, and the process may take several months to produce usable compost.
Comparing Composting vs Other Recycling Methods
Composting and other methods of recycling food waste, like anaerobic digestion and industrial-scale recycling, offer different approaches to managing organic waste. Composting is a natural process that is simple (to some extent), cost-effective, and environmentally friendly, though it requires space and time. In contrast, anaerobic digestion involves breaking down food waste in the absence of oxygen to produce biogas, which can be used as renewable energy, along with nutrient-rich digestate for fertilizer. While anaerobic digestion is more complex and requires specialized equipment, it provides the added benefit of energy recovery. Other recycling methods, such as turning food waste into animal feed or using it in industrial processes, also help reduce waste but may have limitations in scalability or environmental impact. Ultimately, composting is a more accessible solution for households and small-scale operations, while anaerobic digestion and other methods are often more suited to larger-scale, industrial applications.
How Compost-It is Empowering Local Composters
Compost-It is empowering local composters by providing accessible, sustainable solutions for managing organic waste in communities. We supports households across the city by providing a free, convenient, and reliable food-waste collection, straight from their doors! We then take this waste to local composters, who can use the household food-waste to make their own compost, saving costs from expensive, store-bought compost and fertilizers. In addition to providing the materials for compost creation, we also help local composters build the composting systems themselves.
These community composting schemes also facilitate networks within the community that connect households to local growers. We are incredibly happy to see the schemes encourage community members to visit their local growing sites, where they learn about eco-friendly growing practices and can see first-hand how their food-waste is helping support the growers. It also gives growers the chance to display their fresh produce to potential customers - encouraging local, healthy eating is an awesome side-benefit to see!
Composting FAQs
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You can compost fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, eggshells, tea bags, yard waste (like leaves and grass clippings), and small amounts of shredded paper or cardboard.es here
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Avoid composting meat, dairy, oils, and processed foods, as they can attract pests and slow the composting process.
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Composting typically takes anywhere from 2 months to a year, depending on factors like the materials used, the size of the pile, and how often it’s turned. Regular aeration and maintaining a balance of greens (nitrogen-rich materials) and browns (carbon-rich materials) can speed up the process.
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Aim for a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio of browns to greens. Browns include dry leaves, cardboard, and wood chips, while greens include food scraps and grass clippings. This balance ensures proper decomposition and prevents odour.
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When done correctly, composting should not smell bad. A healthy compost pile smells earthy. Odors usually occur if the pile is too wet, lacks airflow, or contains inappropriate materials like meat or dairy.
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While a compost bin helps contain the process and can make it neater, it’s not strictly necessary. You can compost in a simple pile or trench in your garden. A bin, however, can help regulate temperature and moisture, speeding up the process.
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If you compost correctly, pests should not be a problem. Covering food scraps with browns and avoiding items like meat, dairy, and oils can help deter rodents and insects.
