4 Simple reasons to compost
Tuesday, 7th November 2017 at 08:34:53
The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization found that home composting can potentially divert up to 150 kg of food waste per household per year from local collection authorities. And indeed, proper management of organic waste will bring with it an abundance of rewards.
“Naturally, effective treatment of organic waste and turning it into compost will bring a big positive impact to the environment,” says Ir. Ketut Mertaadi, co-owner of ecoBali. “By urging people to compost their own organic waste we encourage them to live responsibly. They’ll create an organic fertilizer that is environmentally friendly and good for their garden.”
A compost bin is definitely a practical solution to your organic waste problem—just put inside all of your kitchen waste and soon it’ll turn into nutritious compost. But what are the other benefits of having a composting bin other than the obvious reason of being able to make our own homemade fertilizer? Here are four good reasons for you to finally start composting…
1. Reduce Waste
According to last year’s data released by Bali’s Environmental Agency, out of the 1.800 tonnes of waste that Bali produced each day that goes into landfill (TPA Suwung) close to 70% are organic. “Even the process of transporting it can present a health and environmental risk,” Pak Ketut adds. Instead of producing CO2 emissions from the transport of your waste, and releasing greenhouse gas emissions after going through anaerobic process in overstuffed landfills, your organic waste will stay put and turn into a soil-nourishing compost for your beautiful tropical garden.
2. Spoil your Soil
In nature, a degrading organic waste—such as fallen leaves or fruits—will become fodder for microorganisms and species like worms that live inside the earth. With a composting bin you emulate the aerobic process more swiftly then once you’re done, you will produce the best “food” for your soil and its habitat. Other than that, your homemade organic fertilizer will, among many other things, increase the soil’s organic matter; provide nutrition for plants; pierce air holes in clay soils to enable the smooth flow of water into the ground; hold water content in sandy water; and prevent erosion. Moreover, by composting you will safeguard the ground’s moisture level, therefore, saving the need to water your plants.
3. Safeguard the Environment
Organic waste in landfills produces 11% of manmade global methane emission – the Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (SLCP) that is partially responsible for climate change, According to a study by the U.N Environment Program, aggressive efforts to reduce methane emission from landfills even only by 40% can buy us around 15 years of “breathing space” – imagine what we can accomplish with more! The act of composting will undoubtedly help mitigate climate change through emission avoidance (which includes reducing CO2 emission from transporting waste) and carbon sequestration. Moreover, by creating your own compost, you reduce the use of chemical fertilizer that threatens to spoil the quality of nature’s produce since the chemical will contaminate the soil, air, and groundwater.
4. Appreciate Nature’s Bounties
We often don’t think twice what we consume; what we can’t finish on our plate we simply discard into the bin without realizing that those leftovers are still beneficial when we turn them into compost. By creating your own compost, you will be more appreciative of what nature has given us, and in return, nature will return the favour by producing their best bounties for us to consume.
