Composting is the process of recycling organic matter, such as leaves and food scraps, into a valuable fertilizer that can enrich soil and plants. It is a controlled, aerobic process that converts organic materials into a nutrient-rich soil amendment or mulch through natural decomposition. Composting is an important part of waste management, as food and other compostable materials make up about 20-30% of waste in landfills, and these materials take longer to biodegrade in the landfill due to anaerobic conditions. Composting offers an environmentally superior alternative to using organic material for landfill because composting reduces methane emissions due to anaerobic conditions, and provides economic and environmental co-benefits.
Here are some key points about composting:
- Composting is natures way of recycling. It is one of the most powerful actions we can take to reduce our trash, address climate change, and build healthy soil.
- Composting simply speeds up the process of decomposition by providing an ideal environment for bacteria, fungi, and other decomposing organisms to do their work.
- The resulting decomposed matter, which often ends up looking like fertile garden soil, is called compost.
- Composting can be done at home using food scraps from your kitchen and dry leaves and woody material from your yard.
- Composting is an excellent method to recycle waste from your yard and kitchen while also enriching the soil in your garden, enhancing its ability to retain water, and preventing erosion.
- Composting is an essential tool for improving large-scale agricultural systems.
- Composting can help cut methane emissions from landfills.
- Composting is garden insurance, as it is teeming with all kinds of microorganisms and soil fauna that help convert soil nutrients into a form that can be readily absorbed by plants.
