Composting food waste
... is the cheapest, most-effective way for us to fight global warming ... |
My method of composting (Aerated Static Pile - ASP) maintains the supply of oxygen at levels that prevent the proliferation of methanogenic (methane-generating) bacteria.
More importantly, compost production and application can be an effective way to humify (stabilize) carbon, which can keep it in soils for thousands of years. Thomas Goreau, a biogeochemist and expert on carbon and nitrogen cycles, recommends increasing soil microbial populations for this purpose. Compost application is the best way to do this. Read more here. |
... preserves precious landfill space ... |
Landfills are not cheap, and landfills are not infinite. We are lucky to have the Iris Glen landfill. We should recycle as much waste material as possible - including organic wastes - so as to get as many years out of Iris Glen as possible.
According to the EPA, 34% of our nation's Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is either food, yard trimmings, or wood. Properly composted, this material becomes a valuable resource.
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... and recovers a valuable resource that is otherwise lost to us! |
Quality compost provides gardeners, farmers, and landscapers with a potent slow-release fertilizer and abundant populations of beneficial soil life.
Perhaps more important are compost's hydrological properties. Numerous studies have shown that modest applications of compost slow rainwater runoff, lessen that runoff, and filter that runoff. We all know that Johnson City has had its share of stormwater management challenges, and we all appreciate the importance of water quality.
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