Benefits Of Composting Organic Waste

As nature’s way of recycling, composting is a natural process where organic waste such as leaves, manure, grass trimmings, wood, crop residue biodegrades into nutrient-rich soil, which can then be used to grow new organic matter. In this process, various microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi break down organic matter into simpler substances to create humus. Composting provides many benefits ranging from increasing nutrient levels and improving soil quality to helping clean up contaminated soil, reducing greenhouse gases, controlling erosion and, of course, saving money.

Composting is increasing its importance in this age in developed nations. Industrialized nations have been producing so much waste over the last hundred years that it’s virtual impossible for the environment to keep up. In fact, the environment has been falling very far behind.

Because of this there have been a lot of places where municipalities or larger bodies of government have been making it mandatory for people to compost. They’ve done this by both providing the means and by penalizing those who put out too much traditional garbage, so to speak.

Though it may be hard to adapt at first, keep in mind that composting really is something that can benefit you. These benefits can even be direct, something you’ll see more immediately than other environmental initiatives.

This is the more selfish of the benefits, but it’s true nonetheless. The big reason that composting can save you money is that many places are beginning to charge people who are putting out too much garbage. They are doing so both to cut costs of their own, but also to encourage people to use the other disposal methods that are being provided to them.

Money gets back into your pocket in other ways though. Some are smaller ways, but important still. For instance, more compost means less garbage which means less garbage bags. It also means less demand for tax dollars, as governments will be less burdened for garbage disposal. As will be shows in a later section, it can also save money for those who own a garden.

Home gardens are growing more popular every year. In fact, having and maintaining a garden is one of the most cited reasons for people to own a house rather than simply buying a condo in which the landscaping is someone else’s job.

Gardens, however, demand a lot of nutrients to help the plants grow. While artificial nutrients are quite easy to come by, they can become costly in the long run. Worse than the cost, many environmentalists are arguing that chemical fertilizers are dangerous for both people and animal life.

By composting on your own land, bypassing any municipal program, you can ensure your garden gets the benefits of natural nutrients. No matter which of the competing groups of studies you tend to agree with, you can’t really argue with the results that nature has been displaying over the last few million years. You might as well follow its lead!

Whether you want a garden or a better lawn, by adding compost to the right places you can help make your land ready in a natural way, without the cost of calling in outside help. By laying out your own compost you can help create nutrient rich soil and even reshape unlevel land areas. Though this will take a bit longer than having soil shipped in, the results will be better and longer lasting.