Updated On 10/02/2018 | Originally Published On 03/23/2015
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Trash is buried in designated areas and covered with layers of dirt, soil and woodchips
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Organic waste decomposes anaerobically and emits methane gas, a powerful GHG
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Both of these statements are true
While this is by far the most common way that organics are currently discarded, it unfortunately robs materials from possible second lives.
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Neither of these statements are true
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Doing it on your own gives you free, natural fertilizer to use in the lawn and garden
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Commercial facilities keep organics out of landfills and can provide farms with fertilizer
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It avoids the significant methane emissions created by organics decomposing in landfills
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It eliminates all CO2 emissions from food-waste processing
Composting generates some greenhouse-gas emissions, but much less than what comes from organic waste in a landfill.
FIND A WAY AROUND WASTE
It’s no secret that a huge amount of food gets wasted every single day in the US. So the more of us who do our part to reduce food waste, the better off we’ll all be. Luckily, there are better alternatives to sending food waste to the landfill.
Hi Ka,
Great question. The answer is no.
With all other factors equal, methane production in landfills is significantly higher than in a compost pile. This is because landfills by their nature cause organic matter to break down without oxygen, resulting in methane, when the same matter would produce mostly CO2 in a compost pile, because with compost oxygen is involved in the chemical change. Read more here.