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Why Composting Is Important: 7 Reasons to Start Today

Biofuture

Composting has been growing in popularity as a means of greener waste management. By turning your organic waste into soil, you’re reducing waste and contributing less to environmental harm. Here’s why composting is important and how it affects the environment and your daily life.

Hands holding compost

What is Composting?

Composting is the process of breaking down organic matter, like food scraps, garden waste and compostable products, into a natural fertiliser. Microbes and other decomposers turn waste into compost which can be used to feed the soil. This reduces the need for chemical fertilisers and helps plants grow.


7 Reasons Why it is Important to Compost


1. Reduces Landfill Waste

The UK produces approximately 9.5 million tonnes of food waste annually. Organic waste in landfills produces methane, a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Composting diverts food and garden waste from landfills, reduces emissions and prevents the need for more landfills.


2. Improves Soil Quality

Compost improves soil’s texture, helps it hold water and nutrients. This reduces erosion and increases crop yields. Home composting gives you free fertiliser for your garden while reducing your reliance on chemical additives that harm ecosystems.


3. Saves Resources

Composting locally saves the energy and transportation costs of commercial fertilisers. It also reduces water pollution from agricultural runoff containing synthetic fertilisers.


4. Supports a Circular Economy

Recycling can only handle certain types of waste and many materials degrade in quality after each recycling process. Compostable products on the other hand return nutrients to the soil without creating new waste. By choosing compostable bin liners, cling film and takeaway packaging you’re closing the loop in the waste cycle.


5. Reduces Incineration

Burning waste is energy hungry and pollutes the air. Composting is a clean alternative that benefits the environment without energy intensive processes.


6. Encourages Sustainable Behaviour

Composting makes you think about what you’re throwing away. It’s a small step to living more sustainably. For businesses, offering compostable packaging appeals to eco-conscious customers and shows you care about sustainability. In fact, 82% of global consumers were willing to pay more for sustainable packaging in 2023, which has grown by 4% each year for the 2 previous years.


7. Supports Biodiversity

Healthy compost attracts worms, fungi and beneficial microbes that feed the soil. These organisms help plant growth and create a thriving ecosystem in your garden or community space.


How Compostable Products Help

Compostable products can make composting easier, especially when dealing with food items and waste. Compostable products like bin liners, cling film and takeaway packaging can be thrown away along with food waste, simplifying the process of composting. This also reduces the use of non-biodegradable plastics that clog landfills and waterways.

For example, using compostable bin liners makes collecting food scraps mess free. Compostable cling film is a more eco-friendly way to store leftovers without contributing to microplastic pollution. Switching to compostable packaging closes the loop in the waste cycle.

Compostable food waste bin and green bin liner in a kitchen

How to Compost

  1. Get a Compost Bin: Choose a bin for your space, indoor or outdoor.

  2. Know What to Compost: Add fruit and veg scraps, coffee grounds, eggshells, garden waste and home compostable packaging. Don’t add meat, dairy or oily foods.

  3. Layer It: Alternate green waste (e.g. food scraps) and brown waste (e.g. dry leaves) for a mix.

  4. Turn the Pile: Aerating the pile helps decomposition and prevents smells.

  5. Use the Compost: Once it’s broken down into dark, crumbly soil use it in your garden or potted plants.


Composting Myths

Some people think composting is only for people with big gardens, but compact indoor composters are available for flats and smaller homes. Others think compostable products aren’t effective without industrial facilities. While some products are only industrially compostable, and industrial composting can speed up the process, many compostable products are still home compostable and break down in well maintained home compost systems.


Recycling vs Composting

Recycling is important but has limitations. Materials like plastic lose quality after multiple cycles and many items still end up in landfills due to contamination and other factors. Composting fills the gap by returning nutrients to the earth. Unlike recycling it’s a permanent solution that doesn’t create secondary waste.

By understanding why composting is important and making it a part of your home life, you’ll be reducing your environmental impact. Start small with any container and build it up to your full requirements over time. Opting for compostable products to add to your composting system will also dramatically reduce your waste output. Add it all up and it’s a cleaner, healthier planet for future generations.

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