This is a subpage of the section on Waste.

What is composting?

$Another means by which you can reduce waste is composting.  According to the Environmental Protection Agency, compost is "organic material that can be used as a soil amendment or as a medium to grow plants."  Compost is created by combining organic waste, including food waste, and then adding "bulking agents" like wood chips to accelerate the breakdown of the organic waste [United States EPA].  While composting can certainly be done on an individual level, there are commercial composting facilities that create ideal composting conditions for the organic waste because many organic wastes, like biodegradable utensils, can only be composted with the right conditions. 

Municipal composting

Many towns and cities now offer large-scale composting programs.  They collect food, paper, and waste from residents and businesses and then take these materials to a large field.  After the material is sorted and shredded, it is arranged in long rows, which are called windrows.  One windrow is ten feet high and hundreds of feet long.  Specialized tractors turn the material periodically, and machines and chemists monitor the air in order to monitor oxygen flow, temperature, balanced mixture, and moisture level [Food Service Warehouse].  These conditions must be just right for proper and effective composting to occur.  Completed compost is often sold to the agricultural industry.

Composting correctly

According to the US Composting Council, "state-of-the-art landfill management, known as 'dry tomb', has been used to bury wastes in landfills so that they become sealed away from the environment."  This "dry tomb" technique lines the bottom of landfills with geotextiles and clay, which compacts the waste as it is buried, and then covers layers of waste with soil.  Once the landfill is full, another layer of geotextiles and clay is added.  This landfill management process decreases the moisture level and therefore the level of biological activity in the landfill.  In this "moisture and oxygen-starved environment," buried organic and compostable materials generate "landfill gas that contains methane and other harmful gaseous by-products" [US Composting Council].  In order to prevent further creation of this harmful landfill gas, organics and compostables must be properly disposed of.  Throwing compostable material into the trash hurts the environment, and likewise, throwing trash into a compost bin ruins the composting.  

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What can I compost?

A list of materials you can compost:
Food scraps, fruits and vegetables, meat, fish, bone, plants, flowers, leaves, tree trimmings, soiled paper and napkins, pizza boxes, donut boxes, compostable serviceware, cardboard rolls, clean paper, coffee grounds and filters, dryer and vacuum cleaner lint, eggshells, grass clippings, hair and fur, houseplants, leaves, nut shells, sawdust, shredded newspaper, tea bags, wood chips, wool rags, and yard trimmings

• If you want to learn how to compost on your own, VegWeb provides a thorough composting guide.  The Enviromental Protection Agency also lays out what to and what not to compost. 
• If you are a Stanford Student, PSSI (Stanford Recycling Center) offers more information about composting at Stanford.
• If you want to send your compost to a local facility, go to this website to find a composting facility in your area! 
• If you want to purchase compostable items and utensils, visit Worldcentric.

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Sources used for the information presented on this page:

1. Alexander, Bryan, and Alan Levine. "The Importance of Composting." One Greener. 9 Sep. 2008. 29 May 2009 <http://www.onegreener.com/index.php?option=com_myblog&show=The-Importance-of-Composting.html&Itemid=203>. 
2. Food Service Warehouse. "Commercial Composting Facilities." Food Service Warehouse. 29 May 2009 <http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com/education/going-green/commercial-composting.aspx>. 
3. Goldsmith, Sheherazade. A Slice of Organic Life. New York : Dk Publishing, 2007.
4. Johnson, Eric S.. "Compost Guide - Composting Fundamentals." VegWeb. 29 May 2009 <http://vegweb.com/composting/>. 
5. United States Environmental Protection Agency. "Composting." United States Environmental Protection Agency. 7 Oct. 2008. 29 May 2009 <http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/rrr/composting/basic.htm>.
6. US Composting Council. "Keeping Organics Out of Landfills." USCC Position Statement. 29 May 2009 <http://www.compostingcouncil.org/download.php?r=22&f=5b52b7531df437051f7641f66a53095e.pdf>.