Home > Simple Things You Can Do >

Composting

You might think that composting is just something that farmers do, and many years ago, that may have been true, but today, there is a growing movement of urban composting. Making a commitment to compost is a huge move toward living a cleaner life.

What is composting?

Composting has been part of our global culture since ancient times, and is even mentioned in several places in the Bible. It is -to put it simply- a natural form of recycling, which continually occurs in nature, and a fundamental soil enhancer, essential for maintaining fertile and productive agricultural land.

Why compost?

There are several different reasons why composting is an invaluable practice. With an investment of less than $50.00, anyone can compost and, when done properly, it can cut your waste by as much as 30% and, at the same time, produce a great organic fertilizer for your yard or garden.

Compost added to gardens improves soil structure, texture, aeration, and water retention. When mixed with compost, clay soils are lightened, and sandy soils retain water better. Mixing compost with soil also contributes to erosion control, soil fertility, proper pH balance, and healthy root development in plants.

Currently, the standard means of disposal for most yard and food waste include landfilling and incineration. These practices are not as environmentally or economically sound as composting. Landfilled yard waste breaks down very slowly due to the lack of oxygen. As it decomposes, it produces methane gas and acidic leachate, which create additional environmental problems.

The basic principles of composting are quite simple and there are many websites dedicated to teaching you how to best begin. The important thing to remember is it's easy, it's cheap, and it's so much better for the environment than just throwing all your organic waste into a landfill.