Recycling is something we do almost unconsciously on a daily basis. It hardly takes any extra effort to toss that empty cereal box or egg carton in a separate bin.
Equipment
3 Reasons Why You Should Start Composting
Why throw your food scraps away when you can compost them?
By Published Sept. 9, 2022
So why isn’t it the same for composting?
Luckily, this is changing. More states and cities have been implementing composting programs that make the age-old practice of turning decomposed organic matter into nutrient-rich soil more accessible.
Eco-friendly products are becoming more and more popular, too—from bag drying racks that make it easier to wash and dry your zipper lock bags to reusable produce bags, storage bags, and straws that help you kick your single-use plastic habit altogether.
But if you’re still on the fence about whether to start composting, here are a few reasons why and how it will benefit you and your household.
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1. Composting Cuts Down Garbage Can Smells
Most unsavory lingering smells lingering are from rotting fruits and vegetables sitting in your kitchen garbage can. Good countertop compost bins with secure lids (like our winner from OXO) will allow you to control those smells and save you on trips to take out the trash.
Our winning countertop compost bins are designed to keep smells locked inside.
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2. Compost Makes the Perfect (Affordable) Plant Food
Compost is the original nutrient-rich all-natural option that has been used for millennia. Compost also aids in soil water retention and can restore dirt contaminated by hazardous waste.
The best part? It’s free.
When you choose to integrate compost into your garden, you’re not only fostering healthier plants but also stretching your dollar even further. Anyone who gardens regularly or takes care of plants knows that store-bought fertilizers can be expensive.
Low on outdoor space? Composting isn’t just for someone with a garden. House plant enthusiasts, window-box lovers, and balcony herb growers can all use compost. Many compost collection programs offer services for exchanging your food scraps for nutrient-rich compost that you can use in your plantings, no matter the size.
Equipment Review
The Best Countertop Compost Bins
There are countless models on the market. Which ones contain smells and are a breeze to use?See Our Winner
3. Composting Helps the Planet
You may think that your food scraps don’t make a difference in pollution—they break down eventually, don’t they? In reality, that’s not the case. Americans add billions of pounds of food to landfills each year, producing greenhouse gasses like methane that negatively impact the environment.
Landfills produce large amounts of methane through anaerobic decomposition or when organic material is broken down without oxygen. When appropriately composted, your scraps are broken through aerobic decomposition—decay in the presence of oxygen.
You can stop feeding the problem by reducing the amount of food scraps thrown into landfills.