What is compost & what are the benefits of using compost?

What is Compost?

Compost is a sustainable, recycled, nutrient-rich soil amendment, resulting from the controlled decomposition of organic material.

What are the benefits of using compost?

• Compost enhances soils by providing nutrients essential to plant growth.
• Compost is slow release, providing a steady supply of these nutrients over time.
• Compost improves soil structure.
• Compost reduces and slows soil erosion caused by rainfall runoff.
• Compost reduces your water use, by absorbing water and reducing evaporation.
• Compost can reduce or even eliminate your use of chemical fertilizers.
• Compost suppresses plant disease by increasing the population of beneficial microorganisms.

How does composting fight climate change?

If not for composting, where would organic waste end up? That’s right, the landfill.

Rotting organic waste buried in the landfill creates methane (CH4), a greenhouse gas, that is 20x more potent than CO2.

By diverting organic waste away from landfills, we are freeing up much needed capacity which extends the life of our existing landfills.  This is why it is crucial to put food scraps and yard trimmings in the right place! 

What can I do to fight climate change?

One way you can make a difference is to ensure your household's food scraps and yard trimmings go in your green bin and not in the garbage, so that useful products like compost can be made and put back into gardens to support plant life!

Source:  Net Zero Waste, Eastgate B.C.