Composting: A Simple Way to Reduce Landfill Waste

I grew up in an environmentally conscious family that composted egg shells, fruit peels, and other food waste in our backyard. But I didn’t become really interested in composting until recently, when I expanded the compost program at my company to include paper towels.

This 12-gallon bucket turned out to be way too big for our home, but at my company we easily filled two buckets every week with paper towels alone (we also filled another one with kitchen scraps including coffee grounds).

Soon after starting my job at an environmental consulting firm, I noticed how many paper towels we were throwing away everyday, and it bothered me to the point that I had to do something about it. I initially tried to advocate that the company install electric hand-dryers or use reusable towels instead, but ran into logistical hurdles and hygiene concerns. So my next best solution was composting, as it seemed like a simple way to reduce our trash. We were able to compost 24 gallons in volume of paper towels every week (pre-pandemic, of course). Learning about compost inspired me to get a compost service for my apartment, which inspired my roommate to get it for her new apartment when she moved out. Not only have we realized how much of what we toss out is compostable, but now my roommates and I can’t imagine life without it! 

Why is composting so important? Compost is trash that otherwise would be in landfills, which release 12 percent of the world’s total methane (the decomposition of paper being the largest contributor to the methane generated). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that of the 63 million tons of food waste generated in 2018, only 4 percent of that was composted, and over half (56 percent) of that went to landfills. Food is the largest component of trash in landfills (24%); food waste is responsible for at least 6% of total global GHG emissions. Plastics and paper products make up the next largest components of trash in landfills (18 and 12 percent, respectively). That’s a lot of waste we could be returning to the soil!

Source: EPA, National Overview: Facts and Figures on Materials, Wastes and Recycling

Landfills are mostly made up of organic matter, i.e. food scraps, yard trimmings, and paper products. When food and paper waste decompose in the landfill, they produce greenhouse gases, most notably methane and nitrous oxide, which are many many times worse than carbon dioxide in terms of heat trapping power. But with composting, because of the turnover and oxygen flow, only carbon dioxide, water, and the rich compost are produced — very little methane is generated! Adding a bulking agent like paper towels is also really important in balancing out the food waste part and helping with air circulation — the nitrogen-rich green waste (food scraps) perfectly balances out the carbon-rich brown waste (paper). Paper also keeps the compost smelling nice and earthy, which is pretty desirable, as you probably can imagine!

Composting can really decrease our greenhouse gas emissions, not to mention the indirect benefits of improved soil health which reduces the need for fertilizers! I hope you will consider composting if you haven’t already, whether doing it in your backyard or signing up for a pickup service in your area (they are pretty affordable; a few to check out if you live in the Northeast region are Black Earth Compost, Garbage to Garden, and City Compost). My hope is that compost will eventually become part of routine trash pickup, and that we will become more aware of how much waste (especially compostable waste) we are throwing away everyday and the simple steps we can take to reduce our contribution to the landfills. Happy composting!

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