Composting is becoming more and more popular in our society, and for good reason. Many people are starting to understand the benefits of composting, and why this practice isn’t just for farmers and gardeners. Composting is undoubtedly one of the many effective ways to improve our environment. Here are 5 reasons why composting is so important and why it can help to restore our earth.
What is Composting?
Before we get into why composting is so great, it’s first important to understand what exactly composting is.
Composting is basically just giving back to soil by using the organic materials we routinely use or interact with. It involves the natural breaking down of organic materials into a soil that can then be used as a nutrient-rich fertilizer. This naturally already happens in forests, where leaves and other organic matter fall from trees or other sources, decompose, and return to the soil, providing extra nutrients and benefits. However, this same sustainable practice can be applied in urban living by collecting food and yard waste and allowing them to break down and nourish your, or a local farmer’s, soil.
Why Composting is So Important
Composting delivers much-needed minerals and nutrients to soil
Soil naturally is not really that high in organic matter. However, on top of that, our soil is more depleted of minerals and nutrients now than ever before. If you didn’t know already, soil needs those important minerals and nutrients to grow food. So, our soil desperately needs this nourishment.
Compost is composed solely of organic matter, meaning it has an abundance of valuable minerals and nutrients. So, when compost is returned to the soil and used as fertilizer, it delivers much-needed minerals and nutrients to the soil, increasing the soil quality and fertility. In other words, composting leads to better plant growth and better produce. So, if you want to help restore and maintain our soil, start composting!
Composting keeps food and yard waste out of landfills
Sending food and yard waste to landfills is one of the worst things you can do for the environment. When these materials are sent to landfills, they simply sit there and aren’t exposed to oxygen or any of the proper materials needed for natural decomposition. As a result, they release methane gas, which is incredibly bad for the environment, into the air.
Our country already wastes a sickening amount of materials. However, ⅓ of those materials are food waste that could be used to benefit our soil and produce. That means that a tremendous amount of food waste is sent to landfills and allowed to release toxic gas into the air, rather than being repurposed to sustain our soil and help food grow. Composting is key to helping this problem: it prevents this gas from being released into the air AND helps our soil.
Composting helps prevent climate change
As mentioned above, composting creates healthy, nourished soil. Surprisingly, healthy soil actually helps to eliminate excess carbon from the air by storing it in the ground. This is highly beneficial, as an excess of carbon dioxide contributes to climate change. However, soil that does not have adequate organic materials doesn’t have the ability to consume this excess carbon. So, in order for the soil to absorb excess carbon, it needs to be healthy, which can be achieved through composting.
As also mentioned above, composting decreases the release of methane gas, as the food and yard waste doesn’t just sit in a landfill. Methane gas is another substance that is highly responsible for global warming. So, limiting the release of this potent gas helps to prevent global warming. In other words, keep your food and yard waste out of landfills! The environment will surely thank you.
Composting provides a natural, highly effective fertilizer
If you weren’t already aware, a tremendous amount of food in our society today is grown with the use of synthetic, toxic fertilizers that cause countless health issues. These synthetic fertilizers are bad for both our health and our soil. On the other hand, compost is a natural, healthy, and highly effective fertilizer that allows plants to grow without these terrible synthetic fertilizers. It is every bit as effective as these synthetic fertilizers, but without the toxic, harmful chemicals. So, let’s create more natural fertilizers for our farmers and healthier foods for ourselves!
Composting helps with moisture retention
Unlike regular soil, compost can actually serve as a natural sponge. This is because it has the ability to soak up water and store it in the soil for plants to use when needed. As a result, whenever it rains, the water that falls on the compost is absorbed, whereas regular soil can not do this as effectively, leading to water runoff. So, composting is excellent for moisture retention, as plants that are fertilized with compost can draw on this stored water when needed. This reduces the need for watering and helps to maintain plants in the midst of a drought.
Overall, we have provided 5 major reasons why composting is essential to restoring our earth. We really hope you will consider starting to compost to help better our environment!
