Not talking rubbish – 9 facts to make you consider composting

I decided to do some research. I wanted to have some facts to substantiate the need for composting in my home, in Australia and in the world. See below what I discovered:

How bout them apples:

  1. Australia is one of the highest waste producers in the world, recently ranked in the top five waste producing nations, on a per person basis.
  2. The average household waste bin sends more than 5kg of food waste to landfill each week
  3. Roughly one third of all the food produced in the world for human consumption every year gets lost or wasted and this is on the increase.
  4. 97% of food waste ends up in landfill.
  5. At landfill food waste is compacted down and covered. This process releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Landfills also produce a toxic liquid, called leachate. Leachate is a mixture of organic acids, dissolved chemicals and rainwater. It can contaminate surrounding land and waterways.
  6. As the level of these landfill gases rise, so does the temperature of the Earth. The rise in Earth’s average temperature contributed to by human activity is known as global warming.
  7. Greenhouse gas emissions are continually on the rise
  8. It is estimated that every kilo of food thrown away results in 3.8 kilos of greenhouse gas emissions
  9. Many countries have been incorporating alternative forms of waste management strategies such as composting however we have not yet embraced composting in Australia

I am shocked and completed freaked out by these statistics. BUT I am also feeling reenergised…even one person can make a difference by reducing their waste, by reducing their own ecological and greenhouse gas footprint. Phew, I am finally on the right path by starting composting at home.

New questions have now been posed like what else can I be doing? How can I incorporate these things simply into my life and how can I can empower others to go on this journey with me?

 Resources:
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts,  Australian Bureau of Statistics, www.abs.gov.au , DECC NSWwww.environment.nsw.gov.au, UNEP, Marine Litter: A Global Challenge (2009) , Planet Ark, , Cleanaway, www.cleanaway.com.au Environmental Protection Agency, natural resources defence council

What do you think it will take for you to start composting at home?

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