Antonio D'Aquilio
Many people are already recycling materials like plastic, glass, paper etc., but not many are recycling food. Food scraps account for a big part of the landfilled waste and therefore it accounts also for a big part of co2 emissions. In U.S. for example, scrap food accounts for 20 % of greenhouse gasses emissions. By starting composting you would save a big part of waste food to be landfilled or just destroyed by incineration.
Composting is a practice by which you can recycle your food. It turns your scrap food (vegetables, meat, fruits, etc.) into a very nutritious compost that can be used as fertilizer. The compost can be used in organic farming, and you can also fertilize your own garden. Cities like San Francisco and lately a test in a New York’s quarter have started this new trend that would save tons of waste to be landfilled. The idea is also helping in reducing the population of city’s cockroaches, because the scrap food will be stored at home, in airtight bins, until collection day, instead of street bins.
Composting is very simple: what you need to do is collect the scrap food in specific bins (you can make one by following the directions on this website: http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/vermicomposting)
When the organic material is stored in this bin, thanks to the help of worms and other bacteria, it will break down into humus. In this link you can find all the types of waste food you can process to become compost: http://studioclairehornn.nl/140-things-you-can-compost/
I think that if you have a garden in your house, or even a small balcony, it might me a good idea to start recycling your scrap food by composting. In a previous column I wrote about waste food and the importance of being careful of what we buy and what we eat. Well, if we consider also composting, we can actually become champions of sustainability.
Bibliography
Why Compost?, Aly Miller, 2013, consulted on December 15, 2014, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/food-politic/why-compost_b_3567964.html
Vermicomposting, Organic gardening, consulted on December 21, 2014, http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/vermicomposting
140 things you can compost, Studio Claire Hornn, consulted on December 15, 2014, http://studioclairehornn.nl/140-things-you-can-compost/