Composting Resources
Paper, yard trimmings, wood waste and food scraps are filling up our landfills, and that doesn’t bode well for our climate or our soils. Landfilling these organic materials, more than 2/3 of our waste, produces potent greenhouse gas emissions and perpetuates our reliance upon petroleum fertilizers. Composting these organic materials would avoid landfill emissions, decrease fertilizer use, increase soil health, and help store carbon in our soils.
Stop sending your organic discards to the landfill where they produce large amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas 23 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. Start backyard composting or support a municipal or institutional composting program. Here are some links to help you get started:
Backyard composting and worm composting (vermicomposting)
- Earth 911
- The Compost Guide
- EPA: Composting facts and resources for where you live
- HowToCompost.org
- Master Composter
- California Integrated Waste Management Board: Compost and Mulch
- WormWoman.com
Municipal Composting
Several cities across the country operate curbside organics collection programs, and one of the best programs to check out is in San Francisco.
- US Composting Council
- Association of Compost Producers
- California Integrated Waste Management Board: Compost and Mulch
- California Integrated Waste Management Board: Food Scrap Management
- California Organic Recycling Council
The COOL 2012 campaign (Compostable Organics Out of Landfills) from GRRN contains all the information you need to move toward composting organic discards in your community.