Compost Nashville is Matthew Beadlecomb, Micah Puncochar, Jeremy Lekich and Spencer Sherrill.

Economically speaking, composting is a far more sustainable process and engaging in it on a larger scale will undoubtedly result in the process becoming more economical in a … The answer depends on the composting setup.In the lab, products certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) break down in under 12 weeks, or 84 days, Rhodes Yepsen, executive director of BPI, an organization that certifies compostable materials, told Live Science. Most Americans assume that if they don’t compost their food waste themselves, it will degrade in a landfill without causing much harm to the environment.

Food waste just left to rot in a landfill produces methane gas, not compost. U.S. cities and counties that offer composting prevent otherwise trash-bound food scraps from decomposing in landfills and generating methane — and they get a significant carbon credit as a result.

So, what happens when compostables land in the correct place — that is, the compost heap? Organic waste in landfills generates, methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Food waste that decomposes in landfills releases methane, a greenhouse gas that is at least 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Raw food waste – peelings, vegetable cores, fruit peel. Compost can be used to produce new, nutrient-rich food, whereas partially degraded landfill components cannot.

Obviously, if you are taking your food waste and turning it into compost then that waste will not trash that sits in a landfill, the alternative which is essentially a large hole in the ground filled with people’s trash. Does food compost in landfills? You’ll be helping reduce both greenhouse gases produced by food in landfills, and the 30 to 40 percent of all food in America that gets wasted. You divert food scraps from the landfill and create an ultra-enriching soil booster that nourishes crops and gardens — and you do it all right out the back door so there’s no fuel used in ship By composting wasted food and other organics, methane emissions are significantly reduced. In the United States, only 5% of our food waste, yard trimmings, paper, and other compostable materials are actually composted each year.

Still, considering how easy and common composting is amongst home gardeners, very few Americans put it into practice, and our nation’s mounting food waste problem is causing major issues at global landfills.

For any business or institution producing food waste, this organic material can be easily decomposed into high quality compost. If you’re like most Americans, the answer is probably no. Food scraps and yard waste together currently make up more than 28 percent of what we throw away, and should be composted instead. Are landfills filling up? Compost promotes higher yields of agricultural crops. … The remaining 95% — 60 billion pounds, or the weight of four and a half Egyptian pyramids — ends up rotting in our landfills. Composting isn't just a way to have a greener lifestyle and reduce food waste. When you compost, you reduce methane production— which lessens your environmental … That certainly seems worthwhile.

But, if a compost pile is being taken care of properly, it will produce far less methane than a landfill. This methane gas actually plays a key role in the depletion of our ozone layer and global warming. Image credit: megansquire via photopin cc

Making compost keeps these materials out of landfills where they take up space and release methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Food waste in particular generates a significant amount of the greenhouse gas methane when it’s buried in landfills, but not so when composted. On this page: