Humans waste. We litter, we poop, and we leave devices running, unattended for hours. Most people don’t think about everything they consume, and as a result, our landfills are overflowing, and we end up in need of valuable resources. One of the largest waste sources in the world is food waste, but a common way to combat this is composting. Composting is the act of collecting and storing organic wastes—like leaves or food scraps—to be recycled into a valuable fertilizer than can enrich the soil. But is it worth it to have a compost bin in your home?
First, there are some obvious benefits inherent in composting:
- Composting saves money on soil and fertilizers – buying good quality soil and fertilizers can add up quickly, but turning your waste into fertilizer saves time and money, and can even reduce the amount of fertilizer needed
- Reuses waste that otherwise has no purpose – about 25% of landfill waste is food products, a positive impact can be made on this percentage by composting some of the waste
- Reduces emissions – compost brings less waste for trucks to carry, transport, and process, and at the same time enriches the soil naturally which can help plant growth, and remove some carbon from the atmosphere in the process
But, composting can be time-consuming, and impractical for homes that do not keep a yard, garden, or widespread flower gardens. The only example I think most of us can relate to composting with is at the dining halls, where they give two places for waste at the tray return, one for compost and solid food waste, and one for trash that gets sent to the landfill (meant for napkins, plastic containers, etc). This was my, and many other students here at Penn State’s first experience with composting as passive as it may seem. This is because this process is not that widespread as many people don’t have use for natural, homemade fertilizer. But, if you compost at home and don’t have a use for your transformed organic waste, you can send it to local farmers or neighbors who do have a use for fertilizer. Though, this isn’t that practical, and inconvenient for most people, which is a poor habit of most Americans—only doing things that are beneficial to themselves. At the same time, the list of disadvantages to composting is extremely small:
- Composting can create an unpleasant smell – depending on the type and amount of food scraps, as well as how often the compost is managed, can affect the scent, but at the same time many composting bins are outside, which should not bother most people
- Bugs, rats, and snakes can be attracted to it – composting requires waste, which attracts wild insects and animals, but if your compost is regulated correctly, this can be avoided
- It requires time – composting is time-consuming. It has to decompose and requires patience for the waste to actually transform and fully break down into useful fertilizer
The issue with composting is that at a residential level, many of us do not have the time, resources, or use for composting. But at a commercial level, there is plenty of room for turning waste into a useful resource. Nearly every business and manufacturer produces organic waste, but nearly 85% of it is sent straight to the landfill, not recycled or composted. This is where the majority of human waste comes from, so I believe that if both consumers and producers begin composting even just a small fraction of their waste, even though it may take some time, the environment will greatly benefit.
I personally have started composting back home, and have been giving the compost to my neighbors who have a mini-garden, where they grow tomatoes, carrots, and several other varieties of fruits and vegetables. The drawbacks to composting are minimal, so why not start?
Sources:
https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/14/world/composting-benefits-methane-environment-scn/index.html
https://www.javatpoint.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-composting
Apparently we both had the same idea at the same time, because I also just made a post on composting. I’ve been composting on my own (as well as worked with the process on a farm) for several years now, so I’ve got a couple things I want to point out. Properly maintained compost on the home scale is usually decomposed aerobically (with oxygen). Done correctly, this produces very little to no odors, so even people with small yards should be able to have a compost pile. Also, people can compost even if they don’t have a garden/flower beds to put it on. Neighbors are usually more than willing to take excess compost off your hands, and you can also spread it out over a lawn as a top dressing, so not having a garden shouldn’t be an excuse not to compost (or send to a composting facility) your food waste. Overall, great job!