Editor's note: This is the June edition of a monthly column written by the City of DeKalb's Citizens Environmental Committee that focuses on raising awareness of issues such as recycling, reducing energy consumption and promoting projects and ordinance changes involving planting native habitat.
Why do we need to eat? All living things need nutrients and energy. Our energy, called calories, starts from sunlight absorbed by plants and is passed down through the food chain. We are constantly relying on the sun's energy. But where do the nutrients come from?
Nutrients are also transported up the food chain. But unlike energy, no new nutrients are added. Decomposers are the organisms that break down dead material and return the nutrients to the bottom of the food chain. Nature relies on decomposers to make this nutrient cycle available to all species.
Why compost?
When we throw away food, those nutrients end up in a landfill. This is a dead end. Those nutrients are taken out of the food chain. Some of the food in the landfill breaks down and produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
If you compost your food waste instead, the nutrients locked up in it become available again and re-enter the food supply. The USDA compost website states, “Composting is nature's way of recycling.”
Types of compost
There are many ways to make compost. I chose a cheap and easy way. In the city of DeKalb, yard waste is collected from April 1st to November 30th. Food waste can be thrown out with the yard waste. It's as easy as putting food waste in a yard waste bag (or a can marked with an X). Banana peels, corn husks, and forgotten fruit can be thrown out with leaves, weeds, and branches. Don't want to run to the yard waste bag after every meal? You can store it in a small container for a short period of time. Worried about the smell? Store food waste in the freezer between outings.
Want to compost in your backyard? You can make a wooden bin (reclaimed wood is environmentally friendly!) and add wire mesh to keep animals away from your compost pile. To encourage composting, you'll need to turn the contents from time to time. Do you have money to spare? You can buy rotating compost bins that help you turn the compost over. Turning the contents over creates the conditions necessary for decomposing microorganisms to thrive.
Can't compost in your garden? You could try a more expensive countertop composter. Starting at around $250, countertop composters can break down food scraps overnight, a physical process that differs from the chemical breakdown that occurs when decomposers, like microorganisms or earthworms, break them down.
What can be composted?
What you can compost will depend on the method you choose. The EPA composting website has more information. But the general rule is to avoid using any animal products other than eggshells. Have you ever seen dishes, cups, etc. that are labeled “compostable”? They won't break down in a landfill. However, they can be composted along with your food waste. Want to learn more about local composting? Two recent NIU STEAM blogs go into more detail about the science of composting and composting examples:
Rob Sligler received his doctorate from Northern Illinois University and is a tenured professor of biology at Rock Valley College.
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