Is composting really contributing to sustainability? Over the years, there has been an increase in the controversy as to how much positive effect composting has on the environment. However, many debates include misconceptions about composting and do not consider cascading effects that have a huge impact. We hope this article will influence and educate why composting is important. But first, what is composting?
What is Composting?
As mentioned, there have been debates on what is truly considered sustainable but there have been questions in what the term composting really means. So, what does composting mean? According to Planet Natural, composting is the process in which organic matter such as leaves and good scraps break down into soil. Composting comes in many forms, whether it is home composting or industrial composting, they all serve the same purpose by helping the environment. “Composting” is a broad term used to explain the process of recycling organic materials. In addition, compost is the term used to describe the final decomposed material, which also has positive implications on fertile garden soil. Some farmers consider this soil as “black gold” which is the mixture of decayed organic matter. This valuable black gold is what gardeners and farmers add into their soil to improve its physical properties. However, before we dive down into why black gold is important for composting, we need to understand what sustainability means.
What is Sustainability?
The term “sustainability” has become increasingly popular over the years as it seems be the new fashionable word. The term “sustainability” can become a very comprehensive term because it involves human activities influencing sustainable solutions, and it ultimately can alter results to further proper waste management. The question we must resort back to is, is composting sustainable? According to an article, “The Role of Composting Sustainable Agriculture,” composting is sustainable and must be encouraged as “the use of compost in agriculture has much more than the importance of the application of an amendment to the soil” and would be ineffective if composting is not used correctly. According to McGill University, sustainability is defined as “meeting our needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” and to protect natural resources, we also need economic and social resources. Hence, as mentioned previously with farmers adding “black gold” to improve soil quality, we need to understand why composting is important to our sustainability efforts.
Why it is Important.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under the Food Recovery hierarchy, composting is considered the fifth tier on that list and they have identified composting as being critical because composting food and yard waste can help improve soil, water quality, and help restore new crops. The EPA estimated back in 2018 that only 2.6 million tons of food, which is only 4.1 percent wasted food, was composted. Those estimates are not enough considering the vast majority is going to land waste and is not being used to support environmental sustainability. To support, a recent study by the EPA shows “Over one-third of the food produced in the United States is never eaten, wasting the resources used to produce it and creating a myriad of environmental impacts.” In addition, the report identifies that food waste is the single most common material landfilled and incinerated in the United States, “comprising 24% and 22% of landfilled and combusted municipal solid waste, respectively. This wasted food presents opportunities to increase food security, fosters productivity and economic efficiency.” This becomes critical for us to consider composting because it can help improve pH levels in soil, it is known to reduce water loss, erosion, and leaching. As we are understanding it is important to compost, there are several benefits to composting not everyone is aware of, here are few listed below:
Benefits of Composting:
- Enriches soil, helps retain moisture and will suppress any plant diseases and pests
- Not surprising but worth mentioning that composting reduces the need for chemical fertilizers
- According to the US Composting Council, composting overall will reduce carbon footprint and lowers methane emissions from landfills
- Composting will help revitalize and filter local water sources which compost can hold 20 times its weight in water. Therefore, adding compost to the soil will increase the amount of water that is able to be produced into the soil.
- There is a correlation that composting can help save the ocean because compostable products do not use plastics and plastic pollution is a noticeably big problem in the ocean (estimated 17.6 billion pounds of plastic leak into the marine environment)
- Composting controls erosion because erosion and pollution have caused farmers to lose up to one-third of their farmable land in the last 40 years due to erosion caused by excess water. The article suggests there are solutions which center on composting and taking part in pre-industrial agricultural methods that can help conserve crop lands.
- Composting will help keep production costs low for farmers. When we make changes in the way we compost, and help produce quality soil by composting, it is shown that fields that use compost have shown higher yields than those that do not which results in more crops to sell.
With all of these considerations, it is clear that composting is critical for environmental sustainability and keeping our planet healthy. Unfortunately, with most of our food waste going into landfills, and only a fraction going back to soil, we are not doing enough to support the environment. If the new fashionable word is “sustainability,” why are we not educating each other on the benefits of composting? A movement in the right direction involves using sustainable products that further our collective environmental goals, along with advocating for the benefits of composting.
At Evanesce, our goal is just that. We provide alternative compostable products that reduce the use of single-use plastics while supporting sustainability. When using our products, you do not have to worry about harming the planet, click here to learn more! Now the question is, are you ready to make the change?