By Stephanie Rochford
Sustainability Studies student
Has it ever occurred to you that those food scraps might be good for the environment? Do you think you are being pretty “green” when you save the space in the trash can and instead use the garbage disposal? It should be an option for every resident to recycle their food scraps.
The benefit of composting isn’t just for the rural farmer or garden, it is equally beneficial to a city. Believe it or not, there are cities throughout America that have curbside compost bins and these bins along with the paper or plastic bins are picked up to be used for their benefits. SanFransico, CA is one such city that has not only provided its residents with compost recycling bins but has made it mandatory for years. This practice has allowed the city to benefit in many ways. Check out one of the departments of the city of San Francisco’s Here. One such benefit is the reduction in what goes into the landfill. If landfills produce methane gas from the decomposing materials we throw in there, then it is safe to say that if there is less trash put into a landfill there is less methane produced. High omissions of methane and carbon dioxide contribute to poor air quality and rising temperatures.
Along with controlling landfill waste, compost recycling provides a source of nutrients for local farmers to use on their soil to maintain their farms. Businesses created just to compost the food matter have provided jobs for people, and made a product that helps replenish soils and even filter water. This soil can also be used to maintain the public green spaces, like parks, public flower gardens, and all other city maintained vegetation. This cuts back on the use of pesticides, which cost the environment in a number of ways, such as the contamination of soil and water. These two things that cannot be missing when growing food.
Therefore, I argue that this step can be viewed as the final step in the cycle of foods life or as the very first step. Either way, this is an ideal ritual to incorporate with your other household recycling. If you are thinking that it cannot hurt to try compost recycling but your community does not participate in it, then check out this website on “Composting in the City” that gives a number of easy solutions on how to incorporate composting in your life.
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