Sure, it won't guarantee the best vegetables, fruit or flowers; ones that are so good that they will attract the attention of thieves; but it certainly can help make up for all kinds of plant deficiencies by improving your garden soil. So start composting!

 

The U.S. generates approximately 35 million tons of food waste annually, but only about 680,000 tons are diverted from landfills; that's only a 2.2% recovery rate! This makes food waste the second largest material by weight headed to our landfills and a huge source of methane emissions. Not to mention the space required to bury that amount of food waste.

 

According to the EPA, the individual waste generation rate is 4.3 lbs/person/day.


Applying compost to soils improves soil health by

  • Suppressing plant diseases and pests
  • Reducing or eliminating the need for chemical fertilizers
  • Promoting higher yields of agricultural crops
  • Improving soil structure (tilth) which improves water holding capacity and erosion control, and improves drainage and permeability by keeping aeration channels open
  • Buffering soil acidity
  • Facilitating reforestation, wetlands restoration, and habitat revitalization efforts by amending contaminated, compacted, and marginal soils
  • Cost-effectively remediating soils contaminated by hazardous waste
  • Removing solids, oil, grease, and heavy metals from stormwater runoff
  • Capturing and destroying 99.6 percent of industrial volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) in contaminated air
  • Offering stronger protection against changing climate conditions

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    (Sources: EPA and European Commission)