With the climate crisis becoming more apparent every year, people are looking for ways to heal the planet. If you’re conscious about the environment, composting is incredibly beneficial in a number of ways.
According to the US Department of Agriculture’s website, about 30-40% of our food supply is wasted every single year. We’re all guilty of leaving fresh vegetables in the fridge past their expiration date and throwing them out. That food ends up in a landfill, unable to decompose.
You can mitigate food waste by making your own compost pile at home. According to recyclenow.gov, composting at home for one year can save the same amount of gases that your washing machine produces in three months.
Not only does it help with emissions, compost also improves the soil quality in your garden by adding nutrients and introducing beneficial organisms to the soil. All that will give you healthier, more nutritious plants.
Composting also saves money. You’ll notice that you won’t need to buy as many trash bags because you’re reducing your waste so much, and you won’t need to purchase fertilizers for the garden.
There are larger effects of composting as well. Adding compost to the soil filters groundwater, which ends up in local water sources and eventually our oceans. It also controls erosion and takes carbon out of the air and returns it to the ground.
Sean O’Grady MD, family medicine specialist, advocates for health, fitness, and green initiatives. A healthier planet means a healthy population.
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