Composting. The Easy Way.

Image c/o AtYourService.Seattle.gov.

Composting. The Easy Way.
Food in the garbage is stinky and messy. Whether we store our unwanted scraps in the freezer or in a countertop compost can before putting them in the green yard waste bin, odors and methane pollution are eliminated with that one easy choice. I like storing my food waste in the freezer, as it comes out like a giant ice cube. No messy cleanup.

So, why isn’t everyone composting? I’ve heard all kinds of rationale, from “Food waste attracts rats” to “I don’t have time to think about it.” How would putting food waste in a separate bin attract more rats than putting it in the general garbage heap? None of us want to think about garbage, but we still have to take it out…

Why should we care about composting?

Food Waste Facts

• 31-40% of the U.S. food supply is wasted annually
• Food is the largest component of landfills, at roughly 22%
• Methane gas is 28 times more potent than CO2 (at trapping heat in the atmosphere)
• Rotten food in landfills becomes methane, accounting for 14% of methane emissions
  
  

I’m in conversation with a few Altadena residents who have a vision of a 21st Century Garden of Eden rebuild where everyone composts. For anyone who is interested in composting on their own, The Edible Schoolyard Project has an excellent tutorial. Damers First School in Poundbury purchased their own composter. They sell the soil enricher product to local gardeners and used the funds to put in a nature area for outdoor STEM discovery. You can see both tutorials in the Eco Kids episode of the Earth Gratitude docuseries.

An even easier option for residents and businesses is curbside compost pickup. Many cities (400-500 across the U.S.) now encourage or mandate that residents put their food waste in the green organic/yard waste bin. Seattle has been composting since 2005. It’s illegal to put food waste in the general garbage bin there, subject to fines.
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Does your city offer curbside pickup? If not, is it time to visit a city council meeting and lobby to put this in place?

Other Food Waste Tips

• Eat Real Food. Much of what is tossed out is beyond the expiration date -- cans or other processed food that is long forgotten at the back of our pantry. 
• Buy Fresh. Supporting our local regenerative farmer is healthier for us and the planet. In addition to buying what we can eat over the next few days, chances are it won’t come covered in plastic or a single-use container. Check out the Soil episode of the Earth Gratitude docuseries, the film Common Ground and my interview with the Common Ground co-directors for more information.
• Walk or Bike for Local Shopping. When we limit our purchase to what we can carry in a backpack, we’re less likely to have bags of uneaten or rotten food.
• Less Than 5% of Plastic is Recycled in the U.S. In addition to that startling fact, even if plastic was recycled, it is an oil product that is toxic from its birth in an oil well to its never-ending life as microplastic. Damers First School students (ages 5-9) were able to eliminate plastic at their school, and lobbied local businesses to do the same. (Learn more in the Eco Kids episode of the Earth Gratitude docuseries and in my interview with eco educator Edd Moore.)
• Kids Love Eating Food That They Grow. When I toured the Edible Schoolyard Project at the Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Berkeley, California, the student tour guide told me that her favorite snack was kale pesto. Plant a garden a school, at home or in your community, and have an ongoing source of great produce, while promoting greater health. Some organizations, like the Good Neighbor Gardens in San Diego, California will even cultivate and harvest your fruit and vegetables for you. 
  
  

Bottom Line
Composting is a relatively new trend for many Americans (though it was de rigueur for our ancestors). The easier we make it for businesses and residents to do the right thing, the more likely we’ll all develop the new and necessary habit of turning our food waste into soil fertilizer instead of methane gas. Citywide curbside pickup is one of the most convenient ways to compost. If your municipality isn’t onboard yet, it’s time to lobby your local authorities and representatives.   


Many of the experts mentioned in this blog are also featured in the Earth Gratitude docuseries. Read my book The Power of 8 Billion: It’s Up to Us to learn more ways to live a rich and green life, and save thousands of dollars annually in the process. Check out the 5-part docuseries at EarthGratitude.org for information on:
 

• Green Kids
• Animals and Conservation
• Food and Health
• Everyday Sustainability
• The Power of Gratitude

Email [email protected] if you have any questions.
 
Please use #EarthGratitude and tag us on Instagram.com/Earth_Gratitude and  Instagram.com/NatalieWynnePace, so that we can like and share your green posts. 

The Earth Gratitude project features the world's most respected experts on conseravtion and sustainability, including H.M. King Charles III (when he was The Prince of Wales), H.H. The Dalai Lama, H.M. Queen Diambi,  Sia, Ed Begley Jr., ​XPRIZE, Wangari Maathai, Elon Musk, Arianna Huffington, The Duchess of Northumberland, ​EARTHDAY.ORG, Ron Finley, the NRDC, Global Green, ​Lynne Twist, Green Our Planet, Life is Good, Master Sha, Leon Krier, Kiss the Ground, Nathalie Kelley, Alice Waters, The Edible Schoolyard Project, The Pachamama Alliance, WildlifeDirect and more. ​

Photo of Natalie Pace in Powerscourt, Ireland by Marie Commiskey.

Natalie Wynne Pace is an advocate for sustainability, financial freedom & women's empowerment. Natalie is the bestselling author of The ABCs of Money (6th edition) and The Power of 8 Billion: It's Up to Us, and is the co-creator of the Earth Gratitude Project. She has been ranked as a No. 1 stock picker, above over 835 A-list pundits, by an independent tracking agency (TipsTraders). Her book The ABCs of Money remained at or near the #1 Investing Basics e-book on Amazon for over 3 years (in its vertical), with over 120,000 downloads and a mean 5-star ranking. The 6th edition of The ABCs of Money and the 2nd edition of Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is (2nd edition) are the most recent releases of these books. Follow her on Instagram. 
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Natalie Pace's easy-as-a-pie-chart nest egg strategies earned gains in the last two recessions and have outperformed the bull markets in between. That is why her Investor Educational Retreats, books and private coaching are enthusiastically recommended by Nobel Prize winning economist Gary S. Becker, TD AMERITRADE chairman Joe Moglia, Kay Koplovitz and many Main Street investors who have transformed their lives using her Thrive Budget and investing strategies. Click to view a video testimonial from Suzie Shride and Nilo Bolden.

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