According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the US produced 250 million tons of municipal solid waste in 2011 and more than half of it was compostable materials such as yard trimmings, paper and cardboard, and food waste.
As a country, we “recovered” 87 million tons of waste that year, but most of that was paper. Food waste accounted for only 1.6% of the organic waste that avoided landfills. When food and other organic matter decompose in landfills, methane is produced. In the US, landfills are the third largest source of this powerful greenhouse gas.
Composting, on the other hand, converts food and organic waste to fertilizer, recycling it into something useful. As a result, municipal composting programs are on the rise across North America and Europe. The European Union composts 15% of its municipal waste, with Austria and the Netherlands leading the way at 34% and 28%, respectively.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a pilot composting program in his State of the City address. The voluntary program will be introduced in parts of Staten Island, with more than 40% of eligible residents participating. In addition, 100 city schools in Manhattan are involved.
Other cities with active composting programs include San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland.
We have gotten much better at recycling paper and paper products. But we are just starting to pay serious attention to where our food waste goes. Keeping food waste out of landfills saves transportation costs and is good for the environment. Composting is recycling’s final frontier.
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Web Links
Recycling’s ‘Final Frontier’: The Composting of Food Waste
http://e360.yale.edu/feature/recyclings_final_frontier_the_composting_of_food_waste/2678/
Photo, taken on March 17, 2007, courtesy of Joi Ito via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Support for Earth Wise comes from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY.