6. Compost
This week's #52climatesolutions post asks you to turn food waste into soil-enriching compost, locking carbon in the soil for a healthier planet. Happy International Compost Awareness Week!
According to the UN, 30% of food produced globally, is wasted. In Australia, we send more than 5 million tonnes of food to landfill every year, wasting $20 billion worth of food that could otherwise be eaten or composted. The numbers are pretty hard to fathom. When food goes to landfill, the potent greenhouse gas, methane, is emitted under oxygen-deprived conditions. The seemingly benign act of chucking out food scraps contributes a hefty 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Fortunately, there is a lot we can do to reduce this slice of the emissions pie.
For this week’s #52climatesolutions, we suggest the you embrace the fine art of composting. We reckon that many of the planet’s woes could be solved by the three C’s – community, conservation and COMPOST! By providing an environment for your food scraps that is rich in oxygen, microorganisms and worms, you can create a composted mixture to feed your plants (and grow more food!). Compost helps build soil structure and quality and improves resilience to climatic shocks such as drought.
There are lots of different composting methods. One of the easiest is the ‘cold’ compost bin system. We like to place our compost bin by a fruit tree, so that the tree receives nutrition while the worms do their thang. You just need to remember to have a good mix of green (nitrogen-rich) and brown (carbon-heavy) materials, so your compost doesn’t get too slimy and wet, or dry and inactive.
Compost systems can be set up at home, school and many workplaces too. For apartment dwellers, try Share Waste or ask a friend or your local community garden if you can add to their compost system. Support the restaurants and cafes that apply composting solutions for their food waste. Let no coffee grinds go to waste! Consider composting your pet’s poo or maybe your own (humanure)!
Be careful not to use composting as a waste-management crutch. Council-issued FOGO/commercial compost bins can be really helpful if you have limited home-composting options, but ultimately, they’re taking the problem ‘away’. They’re a service you pay for and then pay for again if buying compost for your garden, and when the average Aussie household already loses $2000 - $2500 per year on wasted food, that’s one costly system. Your food waste is a valuable resource, so try to make the most of it!
Before composting, remember to buy only what you need, use leftovers, love your wonky veggies, store food well and preserve your glut! Then compost the rest!
Read on for our favourite compost recipes and resources on this wonderful, life giving process. And share if you think someone you know would like to join in with our #52climate solutions. Tag us on social media so we can follow along with you and share what you’re up to!
This week happens to be International Compost Awareness Week. It’s also International Permaculture Day - one of our fave permaculture principles is ‘Produce No Waste’, and any decent permaculture system will have composting designed into it to turn waste into a resource. It feels like an auspicious day to get started, if you’ve not composted before, or a good time tend to your existing compost - maybe feed the garden with it’s nutrient-dense wonders!
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