Don't have space to compost? Grossed out by old eggshells? There are services who will collect your food waste, so you can be a good earth civilian without having to touch a single worm.
By Alyson Lundstrom
(Originally published for ZeroMe)
You’ve done it! You’ve finally saved your first eggshells, banana peels, and carrot ends and you’re ready to commit to detouring your food-related landfill waste to a nutrient-dense compost pile instead.
Just one problem, you’ve got compost commitment issues.
You aren’t sure you can maintain a compost pile, or maybe you just don’t have the space. You're afraid of the smell and wiggle at the sight of an earthworm. Either way, your good efforts will not go in vain.
Whether you have a compost commitment issue, but still diligently collect food scraps and other biodegradable materials, or you are a committed composter who has an overflowing pile of golden soil that exceeds your needs, many municipalities and private businesses are here to reduce your carbon footprint.
For many who are tiptoeing into an earth-friendly lifestyle, composting can be intimidating. We're taught all our lives that rotting food can attract insects, pests, and diseases. For the uninitiated, composting can look like hippy business from afar complete with the barefooted earth mama tending to the pile of food waste and dirt. Furthermore, there's an assumption that the compost pile can be smelly and unruly.
The truth is that before industrial waste management came along, families had to fend for themselves and food waste was returned to the soil as a regular agricultural practice.
Compost piles in reality can smell earthy and sweet with some basic care. However, we digress, if you aren't ready to jump (bare) feet into the regenerative soil lifestyle, we have options! People who will do the dirty business for you while you are still able to be a responsible citizen of the earth.
Now, with a little assist from science, we know that soil is naturally full of beneficial microbes who can digest and break down our food waste and other biodegradable materials in a way that is regenerative.
Read below for why and how you should give your food waste a second life.
The Case For Donating To A Compost Collection
American's waste 108 billion pounds of food every year between what is lost in transport, not purchased at the grocery store, and what ends up in our household trash. As a matter of fact 39% of all food waste happens in our houses. So why is this a problem?
Greenhouse Gasses
Every morsel of food generates greenhouse gasses before it arrives on our plates. Tossing food in the rubbish wastes the natural resources that were used; fossil fuels, water, and land, to bring food to our fridges. In addition, food that isn't diverted to composts can generate incredible amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas that exacerbates global warming.
Just 3kg of food waste can yield up to
23kg of carbon dioxide emissions into our atmosphere.
Improves Soil Health
Donations of compostables can help projects maintain healthy agriculture systems. Composted soil is full of nutrients and encourages biota that is beneficial for the biological, chemical, and structural health of soils. Additionally, according to the EPA, increasing the organic content of soil by just 1% can triple the soil's water holding capacity which can reduce erosion.
Compost Collection & Donation Options
1. Your Local Farmer’s Market
Many Farmer’s Markets run compost collection programs, setting up a designated site to accept your week's food scraps. Some markets work directly with city municipalities, while others circulate the food scraps to local farms. While most are free, some may charge a small fee if run by a private composting service.
2. Municipal Recycling Sites
Check your municipality for hosted drop-off sites that accept everything from yard clippings to food scraps. Some offer curbside pick up while other cities will have designated drop off sites. Be sure to check ahead for requirements.
3. Community Compost Pile
If you don’t want to commit to full-time compost management, check your neighborhood notices to see if there is a collection point on our block. If there isn't, why not start one? Rotate maintenance tasks between neighbors and divide up the brown gold between your neighborhood gardens.
4. School Garden Compost
Many schools integrate a compost pile to model civic action, reduce food waste in landfills and provide a lesson about the circular food system. Check local schools in our area to see if they accept food scrap donations.
5. Public Collection Bins
Consider yourself lucky if your city hosts a drop slot for food waste that will divert it from becoming a methane machine in the landfills. The more people use these regularly, the more it will incentivize local waste programs to implement them.
Tips For Donating Your Food Waste To A Compost Collection
A few simple things should be considered when participating in compost collection programs. After all, we are here to help, not make things harder, right?
Keep your week's worth of scraps in the refrigerator or freezer to prevent them from going rancid before donation.
Not everything belongs in the compost pile! Consult with your compost collector, but remember that most will not accept meat, fish, oily fried foods, dairy products, weeds that have gone to seed, animal feces, citrus peels, onions, or glossy or coated paper.
Be mindful to remove stickers from fruit skins; they often contain a plastic-based component that cannot break down or will jam up industrial composting equipment. Why Are People Scared Of Composting
Utilizing any of the various compost collections can free you from the commitment of a compost pile while still allowing you to do your part, help the agricultural system, and reduce carbon emissions.
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