Happy farmer kitchen composter kit how to#

“The result is a finished compost product that is used to amend soils by adding nutrients that help many edible plants grow and thrive.” “When organic materials are composted, the process of composting allows the material to fully break down,” says Lopez. This soil is the end result of a decomposition process that occurs naturally, but one that we can mimic at home through several composting techniques. “Next, it turns wasted resources like food waste, leaves and paper and turns it into rich compost that can be used to grow our own food and regenerate our depleted land.”Ĭompost is a soil chock-full of nutrients that’s created after organic matter breaks down. In the landfill wasted food can sit for decades, because a landfill is not designed for decomposition,” Greenfield says. “First, it keeps food out of the landfill where it emits methane and other gasses that we don’t need. “ Composting is one of the most important and relatively easy steps we can take to realign our lives and society with Earth,” says Rob Greenfield, environmental activist and author of several books, including “ Zero Waste Kids: Hands-On Projects and Activities to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.” We talked to compost experts, all who say it’s actually quite simple once you learn the basics.

You might think it’s reserved only for community gardens and farmers, but there’s no need to worry.

Happy farmer kitchen composter kit how to#

But figuring out how to compost at home can be daunting. If you want to lessen your own carbon impact, composting your food waste is a great way to start. So much food sits in landfills that, according to the EPA, “globally, food loss and waste represent 8% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.” “When organic material (such as food scraps) is sent to the landfill, it is unable to break down naturally, but instead produces methane, a harmful greenhouse gas,” says Elena Lopez, outreach and communications manager at LA Compost, a nonprofit that helps improve compost access and education. And when food sits in those landfills, it’s unable to decompose.

The EPA estimates that over one-third of food is wasted in the US, making it the most common material in landfills. Along with making the switch to eco-friendly products like Swedish dishcloths, reusable bags and bidets, driving less and wearing more sustainable clothes and shoes, home composting is a simple solution to help reduce your impact on the planet.įood waste is a huge contributor to climate change in fact, according to the World Wildlife Fund, “about 6% to 8% of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced if we stop wasting food,” and in the US alone, food waste emits about the same amount of greenhouse gasses as 32.6 million cars. If you want to take better care of the planet, learning how to compost is one of the best things you can do. Your CNN account Log in to your CNN account