With the planet in its current shape, living with awareness of how much trash we produce is important. The beautiful thing is that you can create soil rich in nutrients with about one-third of your trash. Then, you will have fertile soil for your various gardening projects.
Below is some insight about the amount of compostable materials that we throw away.
Out of the 250 million tons of waste Americans produced in 2010, compostable materials like yard waste and food scraps made up 27 percent. Another 29 percent was paper and cardboard and six percent was wood. Together, compostable materials make up more than half of our waste — 155 million tons. And, while we recycle and compost some of it, a lot of it goes into landfills.
Then, after throwing away these valuable resources, Americans go out and buy garden and landscape products like compost, topsoil, and fertilizer. Why don’t we simply compost the food scraps, yard waste, and cardboard that we routinely throw away instead?
Besides, composting feels magical. You toss your unwanted waste into a pile or a bin, wait several months, and — voila! —you’ve got something that will make your soil amazing. Your old banana peels and coffee grounds can help grow food and flowers in your garden. ~ Jill Richardson of OtherWords.org
Two Ways to Create Soil Rich in Nutrients
It is easy to compost your food scraps, paper and many other items to create soil. You can find lots of ideas on how to create a composting container that fits your needs. Here are two easy, inexpensive ideas.
1. Three-bin Compost System
2. A Worm Composter (This is also a fun project for kids.)
Dos and Don’ts of Composting
Of course, it is important to compost the right items to create a nutrient-rich soil. If your compost does not have a mild earth aroma, it may need more cardboard, paper, twigs and dead leaves to increase its carbon content and freshen waste as it decomposes. This infographic is a great reference of dos and don’ts.
Sources:
http://otherwords.org/how-to-send-less-trash-to-the-landfill/
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/61502351134190569/
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