Home composting
[1] Home composting can be practiced within households for various environmental advantages, such as increasing soil fertility, reduce landfill and methane contribution, and limit food waste.
Rodale, considered the pioneer of the organic method in America, continued Howard's work and further developed indoor composting from 1942 on.
[7] This is due to organic waste requiring four elements to decompose: nitrogen, carbon, oxygen, and water.
Most items available in a household include various food scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags, shredded paper, and more.
To vermicompost, approximately one pound of worms can be added to the top of the soil layer but will need ample bedding (newspaper, shredded paper, etc.).
Red wiggler worms (Eisenia fetida) are suggested as they are able to eat half their body weight in one day.
[16] Regardless of the method used, a proportionally small amount of water may need to be added to the pile when dry to ensure proper moisture content.
[12] Compost is finished if the material is dark, crumbly, smells earthy, and contains no added scraps.
[20] It contains three major nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) as well as other elements like calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc that assist in soil and plant health.
[23] One benefit of aerobic home composting is the reduction in methane emissions,[7] one of the most threatening greenhouse gases to the environment.
[26] Over 95% of food waste ends up at landfills where it produces methane, carbon dioxide, and other greenhouse gases through anaerobic digestion.
[25] Algae blooms can produce toxic emissions that have harmful health effects on mammals and organisms, including humans.
[30] Eutrophication, or extreme nutrient levels, leads to dense algae bloom formation which can damage drinking water and develop “dead zones” that harm marine life.
[21] By limiting the amount of food waste that ends up in landfills and using homemade fertilizer through home composting, households will reduce their carbon footprint.
[35] Home composting can limit the amount of waste contributed by households since it will not be disposed of but instead be used productively.
