Compost 101 with US Composting Council
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yj-wWkM7ks
Food Scraps Will Grow the Compost Market (article)
(as originally posted here) As more cities and municipalities attempt to divert food scraps and other organics from the waste stream, composting will continue to grow across all sectors in 2013, according to an industry expert. "In terms of organics recycling, it's a pretty common fact that if you look at food residuals as a feedstock for the compost manufacturing industry, it's an enormous resource," said Michael Virga, executive director of the U.S. Composting Council. "It's an enormous resource, about 97%, that currently is still going to landfills and 3% is being captured, recovered and recycled into compost or other beneficial uses." In order to increase that number, Virga said, restaurants, sports venues, universities, hospitals, corporations and other large institutions will need to lead the way. Some states are making…
Just How Important Are Biodegradable Plastics?
It seems like over the last year or two, all the major companies have been jumping on board not only with a "green" product line, but with biodegradable plastics. I'd like to focus on the three major food service items that have been getting makeovers: cups, utensils and trash bags. To narrow it further, forget about items listed simply as "degradable"... what isn't? This is deceptive. "Biodegradable plastics" or "compostable plastics" that will completely compost in a commercial compost facility are what to look for. PLA (polylactic acid) is one of the most common corn based plastics used. Are they worth it? I'm not so sure. Assuming they're non-toxic and biodegrading as described, most people will not be able to compost these items in their backyard piles. This instantly reminds…