Want to save some money and help the planet at the same time? Start composting.
In fact, there are many reasons why you should start composting, even if you’ve never done it before. Here are some reasons to get started.
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TLDR; Composting is better for the Earth, can help you save money, and will help improve your garden’s health and productivity
There’s a lot to say about why you should start composting, but I’m going to put an article summary at the beginning so that you don’t have to skim through this whole page to get a general idea.
Composting is incredibly important for the planet and can actually benefit you, as a person, as well.
Composting your food scraps and yard waste at home keeps that stuff out of the landfill. When you keep that stuff out of the landfill, you avoid producing greenhouse gasses that harm the Earth’s ozone layer and contribute to climate change.
Using compost on your plants will also help you save money if you grow any of your own food or flowers because you won’t have to use as much fertilizer or soil amendments in your garden.
Read on for more details on all of the reasons why you should start composting!
Composting will save you money if you garden
If you’re a gardener, then you know that healthy soil is essential for growing strong plants. But did you know that composting can help you save money?
That’s because when you compost, you create a nutrient-rich soil amendment that can be used to improve your garden soil for free.
Any gardener knows that plants can be hella expensive, and the cost of purchasing compost and other soil amendments and fertilizers can add up quickly.
However, compost is an essential component of a healthy garden, providing nutrients and helping to regulate moisture levels.
Luckily, it is easy to make your own compost at home. (Here’s a post on how to get started composting for beginners, by the way.)
And since composting helps to improve drainage and aeration in your soil, it can also reduce the amount of water that your plants need.
So if you’re looking for a way to save money while growing your own food, herbs, and flowers, then composting is a great option.
Related reading: 9 Flowers and Herbs to Grow for Healthy + Delicious DIY Teas
It keeps organic material out of the landfill (less greenhouse gas emissions)
Composting is a sustainable practice that helps to keep organic material out of landfills.
When food and other organic waste breaks down in the landfill, it emits methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.
By composting, we can prevent this methane from being released into the atmosphere. In addition, composting helps to create a rich, nutrient-rich soil that is better for gardening and agriculture.
When we compost, we are taking an active role in preserving our planet for future generations in addition to helping our plants be healthy and productive.
If you’re thinking…
- Doesn’t food and other organic material rot away in the landfill just like they would in the compost bin?
- Why is composting good for the environment?
- What is the point of composting?
I totally understand and thought that way, too, but it turns out that there is a big difference.
When food is compacted and compressed (and often enveloped in plastic bags) in a landfill, it can’t break down properly.
It breaks down anaerobically because it doesn’t have enough oxygen to break down the way it would in a compost bin. This process is what produces methane gas along with a plethora of other things, which creates a toxic cocktail of gasses, which is definitely a bad-for-the-planet situation.
In a compost bin, your food scraps and yard waste will have more access to oxygen since they won’t be enclosed in a bag. Compost bins are rotated, aerated, or have holes in them for oxygen to be able to help your scraps break down in a way that doesn’t produce this bad gas.
According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, about 16% of global methane emissions come from landfills. That’s certainly a significant chunk.
So, that’s why there’s such a huge difference between disposing of food in your trash can vs. your compost bin!
A huge, huge reason why you should start composting wherever you’re at is the environmental impact of composting.
With compost, you can improve your soil quality
Any gardener knows that healthy soil is essential for growing strong and healthy plants.
Not only does it provide nutrients and support for roots, but it also helps to regulate moisture levels and prevent weed growth.
However, over time, soil can become depleted of important minerals and nutrients, making it more difficult for plants to thrive.
One way to restore the health of your soil is by using compost. Compost is made up of decomposed organic matter, such as leaves and food scraps.
Even if you don’t have a garden yet, adding compost on top of your current yard soil will help improve the soil structure. Once you have time to dig in and create your garden or food forest, your soil will be much healthier than it was before.
This rich mixture helps to improve biodiversity and increases the populations of important soil organisms, such as earthworms and fungi. Compost also helps to improve water retention and aeration, both of which are essential for healthy plant growth.
Soil can take years and years to build up to the point where you no longer need to buy bags of soil each year you choose to garden. So, start sooner than later and start improving your yard’s soil quality with compost. For current gardening/growing projects or for future ones!
Composting means you have somewhere to throw yard scraps
Grass clippings, tree trimmings, piles of leaves. All of it is great for your compost pile. In fact, you’ll have much nicer compost if you’re adding yard scraps and trimmings to your pile.
Forget about bagging up yard waste and finding somewhere to get rid of it if that’s something you’ve done in the past. Just add it to the pile!
Composting has so many benefits and it’s not that much work
Making your own compost at home is a great way to reduce your reliance on chemical fertilizers and improve the quality of your garden soil.
Although it can take a few months to produce your first batch of compost, the process is relatively simple and requires only a few basic materials. I recommend watching a quick YouTube video on the process.
Once you’ve got a compost pile going, it will keep producing rich, nutrient-rich compost every season, providing you with an ongoing source of organic matter for your garden.
This has got to be one of the main reasons why you should start composting (in my opinion.) Everything grows better with some good compost!
In addition to improving the quality of your soil, composting at home also has the added benefit of helping to reduce landfill waste and that’s another huge reason to start composting at home.
I started composting at the beginning of this year and it’s been pretty easy so far, I just add my food scraps to a small bin in my freezer and take them to my big backyard compost bin a couple of times per week
Now that you’re loaded up on reasons why you should start composting, check out this article on how to get started with composting at home. And don’t forget to leave your thoughts and questions in the comments if you have something to add to the composting convo!
