Tee Cee's Tip for Monday, May 3, 2021
May 3—Dear Tee Cee,
I am trying to get composting going at my church for things like food waste from our meetings, but I need to do some convincing around why composting is important. In particular, can you help me explain why it's not true to say that food waste in the landfill will just break down anyway, so it doesn't make sense to separate it?
Thank you,
Kylie
Dear Kylie,
Thank you for working to create new Zero Waste systems wherever you go and for sharing the good word on composting at church. As you set up your new system, know that you can compost food discards as well as nonrecyclable paper waste such as paper towels and napkins, and paper plates, as long as they are not coated with plastic. Please continue to landfill plastic-coated papers such as paper coffee cups (unless they are specifically designed for composting and labeled "compostable").
Now to the convincing. It's a common misconception that "organics" break down in the landfill. To clarify, when we say "organics," we don't mean USDA Organic, we're referring to any actual organic matter that comes from a recently living organism (meaning not a dinosaur) and will decay, such as food waste, yard waste, paper towels and other paper products that aren't coated in plastic.
One might logically think that since these materials will break down in a landfill and in a compost, there's really no difference or reason to set up a compost program. But there's a big difference: One location contributes to climate change, and the other helps prevent it.
Landfills are specifically designed to be airtight; a compost facility (or pile) is not. When placed in an airtight environment like a landfill, organics undergo anaerobic decomposition, meaning without air. They break down extremely slowly, and in the process they emit methane, a powerhouse of a greenhouse gas, with 86 times more heat-trapping capability in the short-term than CO2. In the fight for a balanced climate, we need to prevent any methane emissions we can control, and organics in the landfill is the No. 1 human source of these emissions.
When we choose the compost bin instead of the trash can for organic materials, we're doing multiple good deeds:
— We prevent half of the material normally sent to the landfill from going to waste, as the contents of landfills are 50% organic materials.
— We prevent those powerful landfill methane emissions.
— Composted organics have access to oxygen and therefore undergo aerobic decomposition. They break down without emitting methane and create nutrient-rich compost that can be applied to our soils to make them healthier and grow more nutrient-dense foods.
And finally, soils are the lifeblood of our society, and applying compost has been shown to help soils retain moisture, provide nutrients to plants and vegetation, suppress plant diseases and pests, prevent erosion and promote higher yields of agricultural crops. As if all that isn't enough, healthy soils can also actively draw CO2 out of the atmosphere and secure it, or sequester it, in the soil where it is needed. Studies have shown that soils amended with compost have three times the ability of trees to sequester carbon.
Our amazing planet is perfectly suited to our needs for survival as long as we don't create systems that are out of balance with it. So we have a choice: We can create climate imbalances by filling our landfills with organics, or we can regenerate the planet's natural systems by composting our organics and using them to build soils to grow healthy food and draw greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. Many spiritual communities see this simple act as one of gratitude and respect for the tremendous gift we've received of life on this one Earth.
Tee Cee
Have Zero Waste questions? Rosie@ecocycle.org has the answers.
