6-8% of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced if we stop wasting food
There is no better time than International Compost Awareness Week to make a small change which can make a huge difference to fighting climate change. According to the World Wildlife Fund, about 6-8% of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced if we stop wasting food. When food goes to a landfill it rots, producing methane which is a greenhouse gas even more potent than carbon dioxide. Luckily, there's an easy solution to lowering your carbon footprint: purchasing compostable products and composting yourself at home. This solution is not only safer for humans and environmental health, but it also does not cause negative effects on the Earth.
Choose compostable goods
Sustainable purchasing is an approach to buying goods which reduce your impact on the environment. One way to be an eco-conscious shopper is to purchase compostable products which are made from plant-based, sustainable materials such as sugarcane fiber, bamboo fiber, and corn resin. Compostable products can include cups, plates, containers, cutlery, garbage bags, hairbrushes and even toothbrushes, which have been designed to ensure their organic materials can be recovered through composting. So, once you have used your compostable products, the next step is to dispose of them in an eco-friendly manner.
Composting is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint, enables you to live a greener life, and helps to lower our reliance on landfills, thus reducing greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere. Furthermore, composting can be done anywhere, from indoor bins in apartments, to gardens, to office spaces.
How to compost
When you compost your organic materials, like coffee grounds, banana peels, garden trimmings, and other compostable products, you are saving valuable resources from going to waste in a landfill. To help you start your composting journey, we have outlined some easy steps for you to follow.
Step 1: Select a location for your compost bin
It is advisable to choose a discreet location with good airflow, access to water, partial shade in the summer, and good sun in the winter.
Step 2: Be selective with materials
You have to be careful when it comes to selecting what to compost. The general rule is to start with fruit and vegetables, tea bags, coffee grounds, eggshells, or old flowers. Avoid meat and dairy products and other scraps which will attract rodents.
Step 3: Keep your compost pile healthy
A good compost pile requires green and brown materials and water. Green materials are nitrogen-rich like grass clippings, weeds, kitchen scraps. Brown materials are carbon-rich such as straw, wood, chippings, leaves. Water should be added to keep the compost pile consistently moist.
Step 4: Be patient
When your compost pile is complete it should look, feel, and smell like dark soil and all the items you’ve added should have disappeared. The pile should be less than half the volume of the materials you added and much denser. Now, you can add the finished compost to your flower beds, trees, or indoor plants to promote healthier growth!
Minimizing the number of natural resources that can be reused and repurposed instead of tossed into landfills is important for the environment and the climate, beneficial for your plants, and good for your wallet. This International Compost Awareness Week #It’sInOurHands to celebrate the benefits of compostable products and composting which go a long way to helping reduce climate change.