Why Compost? (Backyard Composting: Part 1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X51DyT0B83A Rodale videos are always the best... they kicked off a brand new short series on composting at home so here we go!
Benefits of Using Compost (article)
by Earth911, found here. (This is a great article exploring the benefits of compost...so if you're interested in a bit more detail why composting is essential, read on. -editor) As more and more compost is produced and utilized and as the body of end-use related research grows, the benefits of using compost have become more evident and measurable. Because of its many attributes, compost is extremely versatile and beneficial in many applications. Compost has the unique ability to improve the properties of soils and growing media physically (structurally), chemically (nutritionally), and biologically. Although many equate the benefit of compost use to lush green growth, caused by the plant-available nitrogen, the real benefits of using compost are long-term and related to its content of living-organic matter. Physical Benefits Improved Structure Compost…
Why Compost When I Can Landfill It?
Obviously I'm joking about the title, but people often forget that one of the main benefits of composting relates to greenhouse gas reduction. How? You may have wondered about this before...I know I did. Why would throwing food scraps in my backyard pile be any different than in a landfill? It all started today when I was reading a document about waste treatment methods (my other favorite topic) and I noticed a parallel with composting. It was comparing the global warming potential of carbon dioxide alongside methane. When waste is incinerated, it creates carbon dioxide amongst many other toxins that are conveniently ignored, although they include lead, mercury, dioxin, furans, and hydrochloric acid amongst others. Carbon dioxide (CO2) has a global warming potential of 1.0. On the other hand, landfilling…