EPA on the Benefits of Community Composting

Social Benefits of Community Composting

Benefits of Community Composting -via EPA.gov

"Community composting builds local soil health. Food scraps and yard trimmings are best kept within communities where they can be composted and returned to local soils in gardens, parks, yards, or farms. Collecting materials and using compost locally reduces greenhouse gas emissions produced from hauling materials and distributing compost long distances. Additionally, keeping organic materials out of landfills reduces emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.

Compost enhances soil quality by adding organic matter, providing slow-release plant nutrients, increasing water infiltration and retention, reducing soil erosion, and helping remediate contaminated soils. Compost can be used to help revegetate disturbed land and to manage stormwater runoff. Compost use also sequesters carbon in the soil – one of the many ways that composting combats climate change. Community composting engages and empowers the community. Community composting programs are scaled to meet the needs of the community and can fill composting service access gaps. They also serve as green spaces and educational sites where people can learn how to compost, grow nutrient-rich food, reconnect to the food system, and spend time outside. Many community composters engage young people and provide job training. Community composting programs provide opportunities to volunteer, gather as a community, and work together on a common cause.

By participating in and supporting community composting, communities can gain a new perspective in which organic materials are a valuable resource rather than a waste product and can use that resource to build local soil health and grow local food. Local food helps address food insecurity and gaps in food access, especially by providing nutrient-rich fresh produce. Community composting brings skills, knowledge, and access to compost to communities, building resiliency in the community and in local food and waste management systems.

Community composting creates economic opportunities. Community composting empowers individuals, businesses, and institutions to collect organic materials formerly considered “waste” and repurpose them as a community resource. The composting industry sustains more jobs on a per-ton basis than landfilling or incineration (pdf)

EditSign(17.3 MB). Many community composters and haulers are small business entrepreneurs, providing green jobs in their local communities.

When compost is produced and used locally, the dollars and resources that go into the process stay local, benefiting the community that provided the organic materials to be composted. Local compost is used to grow local food, supporting other small businesses and a resilient food system. Community composting sites provide space for education and job training, building skills and capacity to grow the green economy."

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