Food waste leads to greenhouse gas emissions, and we waste a lot of food globally. It’s tricky to wrap one’s head around why - you can see smoke coming out of a car’s tailpipe or a smokestack, but you can’t see where the emissions come from in food waste.
Simply put, food waste goes to the landfill, and landfills are a big source of greenhouse gas emissions. There are a few reasons for this, but chief among them is the way trash decomposes in a landfill. When trash in a landfill decomposes, it releases a variety of greenhouse gases including methane, which is an even more potent greenhouse gas than carbon as far as immediate warming potential goes (though methane doesn’t stay in the atmosphere nearly as long as carbon does). Food waste generates the emissions equivalent of 42 coal-fired power plants in a given year, and represents an estimated 8-10% of global emissions annually.
You can almost see the emissions. (Photo source: USDA)
That’s a lot, and we throw away about one third of the food produced for human consumption in the US. So, what can we do about it? Enter composting.
When organic waste naturally decomposes, it is broken down by microorganisms that require oxygen. The emissions byproducts from this decomposition process are minimal - composting is an example of this oxygen-driven decomposition. When organic waste gets buried under other trash in a landfill, though, it does not get nearly as much oxygen exposure, and the decomposition process that ensues without oxygen releases biogases that include both carbon dioxide and methane. From an emissions standpoint, it’s quite clear then why composting helps us curb emissions.
Other environmental benefits include providing nutrients critical to soil health and conserving water by improving the soil’s ability to retain water. Let’s also not forget that healthier soil has improved carbon sequestration capacity - composting can help us literally pull carbon from the atmosphere.
Personal benefits aren’t as cut-and-dry as previous topics we’ve considered, but if you’re a gardener, compost can have clear benefits to your green thumb.
Other benefits of composting are more “macro”, impacting the local and global economy. We generate about $161B in food waste costs annually in the US, for example. Even a slight percentage reduction in food waste can save billions that could be directed toward better causes. Other broader benefits include lowering production costs for farmers, cutting landfill costs for your community, and improving water quality due to healthy soil’s natural ability to filter water. None of these might visibly impact your bottom line, but these benefits can help everyone.
COMPOSTING IN THE CITY
Cities across the US are quickly waking up to the importance of managing food waste. Many cities are sponsoring composting programs or pilots to help citizens keep food waste out of the landfill. In my backyard, there are smart composting bins set up all across New York City, and a curbside pickup program being piloted in Queens.
Check out all those compost bins! (Source - NYC Compost App)
Some cities do less, and some do more. You can peruse this list for a few examples of programs of varying maturity:
If you live in a city that’s not listed above, and are interested in knowing what options you have, Litterless is a great resource.
COMPOSTING IN YOUR HOME
If you don’t live in a city - or even if you do, and want to consider other options beyond what’s listed above - there are many options to compost at home.
Lomi and Reencle, for example, are high-tech options to quickly and efficiently convert your food waste into usable dirt and compost. Each mechanism is slightly different, but they use an accelerated composting process that you can run in your own home with few if any sound or smell annoyances. Be warned, though - these devices are not cheap.
In addition, you can consider “low-tech” solutions like a rotating compost container or a Bokashi bucket. These will take longer for sure, and may be better suited to keep due to the potential for smell, but can also help you effectively dispose of your food waste. Of course, there is the good old-fashioned compost pile too, though you‘ll need backyard space to do so, and there’s always a strong chance rodents and other critters will be drawn to the food waste.
Making it a Habit
Regardless of your composting option - unless you find a way to make it a habit as second-nature as recycling or typical garbage, it won’t be an impactful sustainable choice. Consider the following:
Tie it to Another Routine - run to the compost bin when you would normally go on a walk or listen to a podcast. Get your steps in when you compost!
Set a Visual Cue - there’s a reason the blue bins can be effective for recycling - they’re eye-catching and inherently remind us to recycle. Green or brown bins can have the same effect, make sure they’re visible and hard to miss
Reward Yourself - if you’re a gardener, composting is inherently rewarding. Take the “black gold”, as some farmers call compost, and enrich your own plants - the improved health of your garden will only motivate you to eliminate even more food waste!
Good luck and happy composting!