“The soil is the great connector of our lives, the source and destination of all.”
– Wendell Berry, The Unsettling of America, 1977
Confessions of a late blooming composter…
I admit it. I’ve been bad about it for years.
You too? Have you been saying that you’ll figure it out when the law makes you do it?
Me too.
Well, here we are. Vermont is amazing that way, though. We all want the best for our planet, our villages, and our loved ones. Sometimes that requires a legislative kick in the pants — sound principals and a set of actions we can all get behind.
Still, changing habits can be tricky, even when it’s important (sometimes especially when it’s such, for we who frustratingly bury our heads in the sand as a favorite way to cope). What makes this even harder is that no compost police exist.
Only the planet is keeping watch and crying happy tears each time one of us drops off our watermelon rind and chicken bones at the transfer station to be digested into properly collected, usable methane and earthy garden fuel.
What made composting possible for me as a bonafide denier? Well first let’s note why I was avoiding it. Frankly, it seemed gross, smelly and messy, and where the heck do you put it and would animals get it or, worse, bugs, and so on. All good reasons.
Then I went to a talk given by the Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District (CVSWMD) and Earth Girl Composting. Here’s what tipped the scale for me:
- “Food is the largest single source of waste in the U.S.. More food ends up in landfills than plastic or paper.” (npr.org, 2014)
- “Almost 20 percent of all Vermonters’ landfilled waste is food scraps that could have been composted.” (CVSWMD.org 2020) About half of that is from our own family households (the other half is commercial waste). The average American household wastes 40% of their food, which equates to $1500 a year!
- When tossed in the trash, food waste randomly releases methane, a greenhouse gas 34 times more powerful than carbon dioxide because it decomposes in an “anaerobic” way; meaning it’s not aerated with oxygen but rather is stuffed under other waste and left to fester for years.
- If we eliminate this 35 million tons of waste and turn it to nutrient dense soil, it would be the same as taking 2.5 million cars off the road, in terms of greenhouse gases. Plus, healthy soil absorbs carbon dioxide from the air and uses it to help grow new plant matter. That’s a double whammy of good! (epa.gov, 2012)
The case is so strong I suddenly stopped caring about any downside to composting (most of which are myths or totally manageable it turns out). Having control and being able to make a significant difference at a time when so much else feels uncertain sealed the deal.
To make it easy, Earth Girl Composting taught me that a simple 5-gallon bucket with a biodegradable, BPI certified compostable bag and a good lid can keep all your food scraps for a week or two without issues. Dump it all in there, then take it to a drop-off center (any transfer station) and it’s done. Wash your bucket and start over (or have Earth Girl or another company pick it up). Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy!
Tips from Earth Girl: After you clean your bucket, spray it with peppermint oil to keep the fruit flies away. Use a rubber band to hold the bag on the bucket. Be careful, because the bags begin to break down quickly and can tear easily. Throw in saw dust or coffee grounds to quench and smells. Finally, here’s a list of what can go to transfer stations:
- Fruits and vegetables (No PLU stickers!)
- Eggs and eggshells
- Milk, cheese and other dairy
- Meat and bones
- Shells and fish
- Dressing and condiments
- Sauces and soups
- Bread, pasta and pastries
- Nuts (including shells)
- Spices, oils and butter
- Coffee grounds and filters
- Tea bags
There are so many great resources on this topic, including how to do backyard composting if you’re able, supplies, and much more. We’ve listed a few but a swift web search will provide a bounty of ideas.
Go forth and do your part! It feels good in so many ways.
“Now I know a refuge never grows from a chin in a hand in a thoughtful pose, gotta tend the earth if you want a rose.”
– Emily Saliers, Indigo Girls, 1990
We’ll see you on The PATH Ahead,
Gillian Pieper, and the PATH Team: Shevonne Travers, Amy Gilbert and Ashley Johnson.
Sources:
- CVSWMD.org – Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District
- CVSWMD.org Drop Off Sites
- CSWD.org – Chittenden Solid Waste District: beyond composting, this link provides great info on reducing food waste overall.
- Earth Girl Composting
- Food Too Good To Waste program developed by the EPA.gov