FAQs

What is composting?

Composting is the process of producing compost through aerobic (in the presence of oxygen) decomposition of biodegradable organic matter.  This process doesn’t readily happen in modern landfills because of the lack of oxygen.  Composting could take hundreds of years in modern landfills.Composting recycles or "downcycles" organic household and yard waste and manures into an extremely useful humus-like, soil end-product called compost. Examples are fruits, vegetables and yard clippings. Ultimately this permits the return of needed organic matter and nutrients into the foodchain and reduces the amount of "green" waste going into landfills. Composting is widely believed to considerably speed up the natural process of decomposition as a result of the higher temperatures generated. The elevated heat results from exothermic processes, and the heat in turn reduces the generational time of microorganisms, and thereby speeds up the energy and nutrient exchanges taking place. It is a popular misconception that composting is a "controlled" process; if the right environmental circumstances are present the process virtually runs itself. Hence the popular expression: "compost happens". It is, however, important to engineer the best possible circumstances for large amounts of organic waste to break down properly. 

What is biodegradable material?

 A biodegradable material is capable of being broken down completely under the action of microorganisms into carbon dioxide, water and biomass. It may take a very long time for a material to biodegrade depending on its environment (e.g. hardwood in an arid area), but it ultimately breaks down completely. 

What is compostable material?

 A compostable material biodegrades substantially under composting conditions, into carbon dioxide, methane, water and compost biomass. Compost biomass refers to the portion of the material that is metabolized by the microorganisms and which is incorporated into the cellular structure of the organisms or converted into humic acids etc. Compost biomass residues from a compostable material are fully biodegradable. "Compostable" is thus a subset of "biodegradable". The size of the material is a factor in determining compostability because it affects the rate of degradation. Large pieces of hardwood may not be compostable under a specific set of composting conditions, whereas sawdust of the same type of wood may be. 

What is a compost-compatible material?

 A compost-compatible material does not have to be compostable or even biodegradable. It may biodegrade too slowly to be itself compostable, or it may not biodegrade at all. However, it is not readily distinguishable from the compost on a macroscopic scale and does not have a deleterious effect on the compost (e.g. it is not a biocide). Compost-compatible materials are generally inert and are present in compost at relatively low levels. Examples of compost-compatible materials include sand particles and inert particles of plastic. 

Why Compost?

 Although composting has historically focused on creating garden-ready soil, it is becoming more important as a tool for reducing solid waste. More than 60 percent of household waste in the United States is recyclable or compostable. But Americans only compost 8 percent of their waste. The decomposition of material sent to landfill is a principal cause of methane, an important greenhouse gas, so reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill is a key element of the fight against climate change. Surveys have shown that the #1 reason Americans don't compost their waste is because they feel the process is complicated, time-consuming or requires special equipment. However, especially in rural areas, much of the solid waste could be removed from the waste stream by promoting "extremely passive composting" where consumers simply discard their yard waste and kitchen scraps on their own land, regardless of whether the material is ever re-used as "compost". ^{[1]     http://www.nrdc.org/cities/recycling/fover.asp}

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