Make Magic: Compost

Summary: Compost at Home

Description

Composting is easy magic! It turns food waste — which might now go into the trash or down the kitchen sink drain via the “garbage disposal” — into a rich, sweet-smelling soil amendment. Applied to garden beds, it enriches the soil environment for plants and for the millions of tiny decomposer organisms that live under our feet. Bonus: it reduces household trash volume significantly! 

Why compost? (1) It reduces household waste by up to 50% (and makes the trash bin smell way better). (2) Without organic waste in the trash, paper bags work very well to line the bin; this keeps many plastic bags out of landfills and incinerators. (3) Right now, more than half of the trash that ends up in landfills is compostable organic matter that generates methane. (Boo; unburned methane is a greenhouse gas on steroids.)               

Can I compost at home? Absolutely! Composting can happen in a back yard, or on a deck or porch (or even via vermiculture, indoor composting with worms). You can make your own bin (simple to do, and it makes a fun science project for kids), or buy discount bins from Energize Wayland (look under the Deep Dive Tab). Get resources and composting basics by clicking on Steps to Take, above.

Are there other composting options than home composting? You bet!

• If you're a sticker holder at the Wayland Transfer Station, you can now drop off food scraps at the WOW bin! More info here.
• Weekly curbside pick-up of food scraps/organic matter is available locally through Black Earth Compost. This too will get you some of the end product — that sweet black gold!

Deep Dive

U.S. Food Waste Facts 

• Food waste is estimated to be 30–40% of the food supply. (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)
• According to the World Wildlife Federation, the production of wasted food is equivalent to the greenhouse emissions of 37 million cars. (RTS)
• Food “waste” is the single largest category of material municipal landfills, where it emits methane, a powerful greenhouse gas (GHG). Such solid-waste landfills are the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions in the U.S., accounting for approximately 14.1% of these emissions in 2017. (U.S. Department of Agriculture)
• Food waste is a huge climate issue in the U.S. because, when it is placed in landfills, the anaerobic conditions cause its decomposition to generate methane, a potent GHG. By composting, we return this organic matter to the natural carbon cycle.
• Although home composting does not solve our national food-waste dilemma, it is an important step down a better path. Community-wide composting can make an even greater impact. Nature’s capacity for carbon drawdown is extraordinary, and returning food waste to the soil is a significant part of the equation. This is an action that most of us can take together, each in our own household, to increase the health of the soil and of the climate!
• Healthy soil provides additional benefits, as the illustration below demonstrates. (Thanks to the Mothers Out Front Massachusetts Healthy Soils group for the graphic.)

• It is estimated that for each ton of compost produced and used, one-half ton of CO2 can be sequestered in healthy soil. (BioCycle)
• For every four households that adopt composting sequester a half ton of carbon annually.
• Every 1% increase in soil organic matter — thus, soil carbon content — adds 1.4 acre-inches (approximately 38,000 gallons) of water-holding capacity.” (Healthy Soils and The Climate Connection)

Steps to Take

To buy a discount compost bin

1. Email Kaat for here adderss so you can to send a check to Energize Wayland.
2. Then you can go pick up the bin at the Wayland Transfer Station (484 Boston Post Rd, you won't need a sticker). 
3. Take a picture of your compost setup and send it to us, write a Testimonial (Testimonial tab above) and share on social media: let's all compost!

Compost stores carbon and improves soil health! Composting can happen nearly anywhere (see Description tab). Check out these tips to start composting in a back yard:

• Keep it simple. Four posts and some chicken wire will do for a start. It is best to have at least two side-by-side “bins”: one where the compost will mature, and one to hold grass clippings and leaves, which are important to layer with food scraps for faster and more complete decomposition. The leaves and grass clippings also discourage animals from searching out food scraps.
• The Town of Wayland Transfer Station accepts food scraps and other organic waste, like grass, leaves, flowers, brush, twigs, logs (under 18” diameter), wood chips, and Christmas trees.

Instructional resources

• Rodale Institute on composting 
• Composting at Home, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Composting in Winter: video

Books

• Let It Rot! The Gardener's Guide to Composting, by Stu Campbell (an adult resource)
• Compost: A Family Guide to Making Soil from Scraps, by Ben Raskin (a kid-friendly book on composting)
• Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth, by Mary McKenna and Ashley Wolff (a fun rhyming book for younger kids)

Articles

• 19-Year Study Shows We've Been Undervaluing How Much Compost Can Boost Carbon Capture, Science Alert
• Can Dirt Save the Earth, The New York Times Magazine (on storing carbon in the soil) Global Warming’s Dirty Little Secret, The [Manchester] Cricket 
• Only 60 Years of Farming Left If Soil Degradation Continues, Scientific American
• Compost Transport: City To Farm (a statewide compost allocation network shows promise), BioCycle
• Compost and Mulch Utilization on California Almond Farm (farm saved money, increased yield, improved soil health, reduced water and pesticide use), BioCycle

Documentaries

• Wasted! The Story of Food Waste, documentary available on YouTube
• Kiss The Ground, documentary available on Netflix