Is composting good for the environment?

Yes, composting is good for the environment. It helps by reducing the amount of solid waste that ends up in landfills. For compostable materials include grass clippings and other yard wastes. Such materials take up unnecessary space in landfills, where the breakdown of materials is anaerobic.

Anaerobic breakdown is carried on without the presence of oxygen, and with the presence of methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas. Reducing the amount of solid waste increases the lifespan of landfills, and decreases the production of methane.

Compostable materials also include kitchen scraps other than dairy, greasey and oily, and meat products. Once again, such materials take up unnecessary space in landfills. A more environmentally friendly disposal of kitchen scraps, and of yard wastes, is recycling into the compost pile.

The compost pile breaks down materials aerobically, with the help of oxygen. The rate of breakdown depends upon adequate air, moisture and temperature levels and upon the regular turning of the pile. Those levels met, and the amount of turning being carried out satisfactorily, compostable materials end up as dark brown, organic matter rich compost.

The end products of composting may be used as mulch, or as natural fertilizer. Mulch and natural fertilizer make for healthier plant growth and soil structure. Consequently, they likewise make for less soil erosion, less soil compaction, less nutrient runoff, and less contamination of water bodies.