What Are The Benefits of Composting – Why Build Compost Bins?
What about Greenhouse Gases: Composting is an alternative to filling organic material in the landfills, avoiding climate warming gases generated by organic materials in those landfills. Organic material like food waste, yard & garden debris and soiled paper makes up a huge amount that ends up in landfills. Methane is generated in landfills as organic material decays under anaerobic (without oxygen) conditions. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is 21 times more potent in its heat trapping capabilities than carbon dioxide. The EPA has identified landfills as the single largest source of methane. Although methane collection at landfills is becoming more common, the EPA estimates that over the life of a landfill 25% of the methane generated in a landfill with gas collection will still escape into the atmosphere. Because methane is more damaging than carbon dioxide, the benefits of composting organic material far outweigh the environmental “costs” of collecting, hauling and processing organi
