Why is composting important?

Why is Composting Important?

importance page

Composting and Food Waste

Composting organic material reduces waste and puts it to good use.
Composting is a great way to clean up the Earth.
Compost reduces and in some cases eliminates the need for chemical fertilizers.
Compost promotes higher yields of agricultural crops.
Composting your organic material can amount to 20-30% reduction in the amount of waste you make.
Organic waste that is not composted, ends up in landfills. This generates methane, a poisonous, greenhouse gas. By composting food and other organics, methane emissions are significantly reduced.

Greenhouse Gases/Methane

Any time organic materials (like food scraps) decompose, they can be expected to produce methane and carbon dioxide.
each Canadian produces 5 tonnes of greenhouse gas every year.
By composting our organic kitchen waste, we can save up to 12.5% of 1 tonne.
Methane is 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.
Methane contributes to global warming.
Food waste is accountable for more than 20% of methane emissions.

The importance of composting

Food waste is a huge issue in Canada and around the world. When we throw food into our regular garbage, it can produce greenhouse gases, like methane. This represents a huge waste in resources.
Composting is a natural process through which organic material is converted into a soil-like product called compost or humus.

Recent History of Composting in Canada

In recent years there has been a significant increase in the amount of compostable kitchen waste collected for composting. This trend was started by the province of Nova Scotia, which in the late 1990’s banned organic waste from going to landfills.

There are about 350 composting facilities across Canada.
In Canada, the responsibility for waste lies at the provincial government, not the federal government.
Approximately 6 million tonnes of organic wastes are produced in Canada each year. An estimated 17% of these organic wastes are currently being collected for composting.

We, as a country, can do better!