As part of Compost Awareness Week, the Michigan Department of Environment is focusing on a common question: “Why is it better to compost food and yard waste than send it to a landfill?” Isn't it the same for disassembly?
Compost bin with food waste.
As gardening season approaches, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) encourages Michiganders to start composting and recycling their food and yard waste instead of throwing it in the trash. are doing. Not only does compost help fight climate change, it also produces a rich soil supplement product known to gardeners as “black gold.”
Composting breaks down organic matter without producing or releasing large amounts of methane. Efficient decomposition of organic materials requires oxygen from the air to decompose without producing methane. Therefore, you should regularly “turn” or mix your compost pile. Landfills are “oxygen-poor” environments, and the decomposition of organic matter produces large amounts of methane.
“Composting is an important part of Michigan’s strategy to combat climate change,” said Aaron Heiday, EGLE Compost Program Coordinator. “When you throw food waste in the trash, it ends up in a landfill. And when it decomposes, it can produce a lot of methane, a greenhouse gas.”
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, methane is 25 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.
“Composting is one of the tools for sustainable organic waste management,” Hiday added. He taught as follows: “When it comes to food, eat it, don't throw it in the trash. If you generate organic waste, compost it. It's one of the best things you can do for our environment.”
compost resources
EGLE's Home Composting Guide.
Learn more about composting and help teach others about composting by watching and sharing EGLE videos.
EGLE's Sustainable Food Management Hierarchy highlights options for managing food waste and the importance of keeping food and garden waste out of landfills.
Don't have time to compost at home but want to help fight climate change by sending your compostables to a commercial composter? Check out our map of commercial composters and find your local municipality or recycler Call us to see if we offer compost pickup services.
For more information, please visit ELGE's Composting webpage.