Composting Isn’t Exciting, But It is Now More Interesting!
A Little Lesson in Composting
As I wrote in an earlier article, we don’t do enough to reduce the amount of waste thrown into our landfills. Facts like the following highlight the growing issues humanity are facing today:
- On average, each of us produces 4.4 pounds of solid waste each day.
- We generate 21.5 million tons of food waste each year.
Recycling is one way to reduce our carbon footprint, but composting is another one I did not know enough about. It is, for this reason, I went to school (figuratively)and learned the following from the National Resources Defense Council at NRDC.com.
Composting is the natural process of recycling organic matter, such as leaves and food scraps, into a valuable fertilizer that can enrich soil and plants. Anything that grows decomposes eventually; composting simply speeds up the process by providing an ideal environment for bacteria, fungi, and other decomposing organisms (such as worms, sowbugs, and nematodes) to do their work. The resulting decomposed matter, which often looks like fertile garden soil, is called compost. Fondly referred to by farmers as “black gold,” compost is rich in nutrients and can be used for gardening, horticulture, and agriculture.
