Waste Management: Start Composting

Waste management is all about waste hierarchy or the 3 Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle. There are too much waste being produced around the world, that different organizations and countries are being alarmed. Improper waste management could cause chemical spill, gaseous pollutants and pests.

But why compost? Landfills and incarceration could be a way to get rid of yard waste, but why bother with composting? Even though there are government agencies and private companies that collect wastes from homes and industries, landfills and incinerators are not always the best options.

Putting decomposing materials in landfills would be a waste of space and unnecessary. Yard wastes in landfill produce methane gas, a greenhouse gas that has the potential to explode. For example in Asia, Latin America and Africa, 40 % of methane emissions or about 37 million metric tons come from landfills.

Incineration or burning is also not a great option. It could result to air pollution, burning yard leaves are even said to have an effect on people’s breathing and even increase the risk of asthma, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and allergies. In the United States, there are some states that have implemented a ban on burning leaves and other yard wastes. Environmental problems in Asia or any part of globe could really affect other parts of the globe.

To reduce wastes being produced, government agencies are encouraging home owners to do composting at home. For example, in the United States, Illinois are not collecting any yard wastes. This regulation is to encourage homeowners to recycle and start composting.

Organic materials can be used as fertilizers to enrich the soil, this is used as composting. With composting organic materials are sued like yard trimmings, food wastes and animal wastes or manure. Some would even add bulking agents like wood chips that would hasten the breakdown of organic materials.

What is so good about composting? Here are some composting benefits:

• The use compost is proved to be better is preventing plant diseases and pests. Using organic materials to enrich the soil is definitely better than using chemical fertilizers. Using chemical fertilizers could have some effects on crops which could have an effect on the consumer’s health.

• The use of organic fertilizers could also promote higher crop yield and effectively resolve soil problems after being dumped by hazardous wastes. They can effectively remove oil, grease and heavy metals caused by storm water runoff.

• They are also proven to be more cost efficient compared with other pollution resolution technologies.

Farmers find compost to be very important with their crops and their yield. Landscapers also use compost for areas that they are landscaping like golf courses and athletic fields. They are also great for parks, median strips and other recreational areas. Homeowners also find compost great for their backyards and vegetable patches at home.

Compost as waste management is a great way to help the environment and reduce wastes. They also offer economic benefits since they are low-cost alternatives compared to other soil amendments. They are also a more cost-efficient method of revamping or remediating contaminated soil by different pollutants.