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Solid Waste Analysis Group
advancing optimal solutions
Backyard composting food scraps is still the ultimate sustainable alternative most of us can do in reducing greenhouse gas and revitalizing soil health. Compost not only reduces greenhouse gas emissions, avoiding methane generation, but it also provides significant environmental benefits like sequestering carbon.
The use of compost decreases fertilizer and pesticide use, improves soil structure, increases soil productivity, reduces irrigation needs, and limits erosion.
Compost can aid reforestation, wetlands restoration, and habitat revitalization efforts by improving contaminated, compacted, and marginal soils. In 2021, EPA reported MSW landfills contributed 4.3 percent of total U.S. anthropogenic methane emissions across all sectors.
Banning compostable organics from landfills a greater impact on climate change than any other action enhancing air soil and water. Food scraps and other organic waste placed in MSW landfills generate fugitive methane emissions equal to landfill gas capture infrastructure in place. Processing this organic fraction utilizing Anaerobic Digestion captures this potent greenhouse gas. Purified this Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) can be used for heat and/or energy generation or to fuel curbside fleets, scaling up municipal co-collection.
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