Are You Composting?

In an encouraging bit of news, I recently read that solar panels are being built on more landfills in U.S. cities.

From Good Good Good:

Such projects not only help cities meet ambitious renewable energy targets, but they can also reduce local power bills and generate revenue for city coffers by leasing out idle land.

"It makes (the production of clean energy) tangible for residents, maybe makes it cheaper... and shows that they're trying to actively reduce their local emissions," said Matthew Popkin, a manager with think-tank RMI's U.S. program who leads its Brightfields Accelerator partnership, which helps local governments convert brownfield sites for clean energy use.

While the number of solar parks being built on landfills has increased in recent years, there is still huge untapped potential, industry specialists say.

There are at least 10,000 disused or closed landfills across the United States — and most are publicly owned, Popkin said.

He and his team were able to analyze about 4,300 of those sites and estimated that those alone could produce 63 gigawatts (GW) of electricity — enough to power 7.8 million U.S. homes.

‍I haven’t heard anything about this in my community, and given there are 10,000 landfills, this seems like a potential energy solution with significant upside.

But in this good news, there is a darker story. The reason why they’re resorting to building solar panels on landfills is because landfills are awful and can’t be used for anything else.

And that’s for landfills that are out of commission.

Landfills in use are risky and dangerous and pose potential health issues to workers.

It gets worse.

Later in the story:

Such projects could also help address long-standing grievances over the location of landfill sites, which historically have tended to be built close to Black and other marginalized communities.

One study found that "race was the most significant factor in siting hazardous waste facilities, and that three out of every five African Americans and Hispanics live in a community housing toxic waste sites," according to a U.S. Department of Energy primer on environmental justice.

Looking for ways to redirect waste from landfills, even a little bit, so as not to feel helpless, I turned to composting.

Composting is the process of turning organic waste into a nutrient-rich soil amendment and fertilizer.

And it’s lingered in the back of my mind for far too long.

As our family has grown, so has our awareness of the waste we generate – it’s impossible to avoid as a family of five. As I’ve taken more time to learn how composting works and how it could fit into our lives, I’ve found myself eager to spread the power of this practice with others who may be curious.

If you’re not currently composting, some quick benefits:

• Reduce Waste: Composting diverts kitchen and yard waste from landfills and turns it into something you can use.

• Get Free Nutrient-Rich Soil, Save Money: Compost creates a nutrient-rich soil amendment that enhances plant growth and reduces the need for expensive fertilizers filled with harmful chemicals.

• Reduce Your Carbon Footprint: Composting reduces the waste we send to landfills, where overflowing dumps contribute harmful methane emissions to the environment.

• Boost Biodiversity, Save Water: Healthy soil supports a diverse range of insects that aid in plant growth, and your compost-enriched soil retains moisture more effectively, so you can water less.

• Community Building: Composting creates community through shared composting initiatives, knowledge sharing, and time to connect.

In short: Composting enriches the soil and reconnects us with everything around us.

Taking small steps toward a more sustainable and mindful way of life is a gradual but active process – living a little more mindfully each day is the goal.

And thankfully, for us beginners, there are a lot of experts along the way more than willing to help.

Cassandra Marketos, writer of a fascinating newsletter on everything compost called The Rot and author of the forthcoming Compost This Book, is one of those experts, and she joins us today to answer some burning questions when it comes to composting.

Cass and I have known each other for years – when I was leading content at Big Cartel, I hired her to write for us, and she always produced great work, including this incredibly insightful essay on what makes work meaningful that we published online and later in a zine. I’ve been following her newsletter and learning in attempt to get over the hump and start composting myself, and when she announced her book, I thought it was the perfect time to share with you.

Ultimately, I made this book for all the people out there like me, who don’t do well with spreadsheets or on tests, and who have been typically alienated from things like “science” and “chemistry” in traditional school settings. “Compost This Book” focuses on learning through action, practice, observation, and—most importantly—making huge mistakes. Lots and lots of huge mistakes. I want people who read it to feel empowered to mess up, and I also want them to feel invited into deeper learning on their own terms. – Cass Marketos

Based on Los Angeles, Cass has a passion for rotting as she works tirelessly in her community to help others learn about composting and the power of diverting waste from landfills.

She chatted with me in anticipation of her book and provided great insights to make composting less intimidating and more fun – I don’t know about you, but crushing eggshells sounds like some great stress relief!

What are the biggest benefits of composting?

I think a lot of the environmental benefits of composting are broadly known. Composting your food waste reduces methane emissions from landfills. It takes "garbage" and turns it into a meaningful soil amendment and fertilizer. However, the biggest benefit that I see from composting is the mindset shift in people who take up the practice. It changes how folks act as consumers. Once I get somebody hooked on composting, how they buy stuff changes completely—they are more aware of how things are made and less interested in buying things that won't biodegrade. In general, they become more invested in buying less. It's really amazing to witness (and I've definitely experienced this shift in myself, as well). Having a more fundamental and tactile understanding of ecological processes—and more awe and delight in nature—really tend to make you more aware of the connection between "buying tons of stuff" and ecological destruction, and you naturally become more thoughtful about your purchasing choices. It's a beautiful and, I think, often underexplored benefit of composting. :) 

What are some common challenges beginners face when composting? What tips do you have to avoid those issues?

The "ick" factor. Far and away, that is the most common challenge I help beginners overcome. They think of compost as a pile of rotting food and a bunch of bugs, which - hey - they're not totally wrong. The best way to overcome this challenge, though, is just to help people shift the frame of their thinking. It's not rotting food, it's "becoming soil." And that soil has value that you can then witness in practice and be part of creating. Bugs are also often a sign of a super healthy pile—one that is full of active microbes that are building nutrition and turning all of your food scraps into vital, living soil. I know you might be reading this and thinking "No way, not me - bugs are gross!", but I promise you that everybody starts out that way, and once you get a feel for your pile, you simply cannot think of bugs and food scraps in the same way again. 

What can you do to avoid attracting unwanted critters while composting?

Your pile will *always* attract certain critters, like soldier flies and beetles and worms and etc. These are signs of a healthy compost pile and if you *aren't* seeing these types of critters—I'd be concerned. When it comes to the bigger guys like rats and raccoons, though, a well-managed pile is your best defense. Chop food scraps up thoroughly and bury them in the pile versus just throwing them on top. Make sure you're using the correct ratio of carbon (twigs, shredded leaves, wood chips, shredded cardboard) per addition of any food scraps. You can also pee on your pile and/or leave around bits of your hair or pet's fur. These odors can deflect unwanted advances from curious animals. 

Any tips for working composting into a busy family or work schedule? Suggestions on what's most important to focus on vs. what's not?

My first tip, the one that I think is the most important, and the biggest one, is also categorically the hardest for people to follow, which is this: let it go. Ha. Let the idea of perfection and "doing it right" go and let it go completely. Be open to messing up and doing things wrong and learning. Accept that sometimes you will have lots of time to work on your compost and sometimes, even for months!, you won't have any time at all—and that's fine. You may end up with a few critters or a bit of an odor, but if those things happen, you'll be able to address them, and it's okay. 

Okay, phew. 

Now that that part is out of the way, the best thing you can probably do to keep your compost manageable and productive is prep your materials. I cannot undersell the value of well-shredded materials being added to a compost pile, it just makes everything decompose so much faster, which really helps mitigate issues like odors and unwanted animals. I would prioritize shredding materials even over stuff like turning the heap. Pre-shred anything you add to the compost pile & always cover with some layer of carbon, whether it's a bunch of wood shavings (this is my preference) or cardboard or whatever else. :)

What tips do you have for composting with a large family?

When you are dealing with a lot of food waste, taking the extra time to prep your food scraps for the pile can make a huge, huge difference. Chop everything up into teeny, even tinier pieces. Crush your egg shells. Break the stems from that flower bouquet into smaller pieces. The more you chop and shred stuff before it goes into the pile, the easier you are making things for the microbes in your compost pile. They have more surface area to go to work on and will be able to break things down much more quickly. That means your pile will be very efficient and can accept a lot of food scraps without getting too big or too overwhelming. (A compost pile that is really cookin' will reduce in size by about half over the course of a week.) It does take a little extra work on the front end, but it's totally worth it. 

Are there any exciting advancements on the horizon that could change the composting process for individuals and communities? Tech, legislation, or anything else to watch?

There has been a lot of recent legislation around composting, with tons of mandates being passed down in various cities around composting food scraps versus sending them to the landfill. All of this is great. Legislation unlocks funding, which helps create infrastructure, which helps support people in changing their habits, which builds public awareness around waste management, which then can, ya know, probably change the world. 

I am generally less excited about "compost tech." For the most part, compost devices are expensive scams and totally unnecessary, built to serve our pre-existing (and harmful) assumptions about waste and waste management (the same assumptions that have directly lead to so much of the pollution and environmental abuse that has now put our planet at such a precarious tipping point). When products are built to serve our presumption that we shouldn't have to deal with our own waste, and that our waste is "icky," we are continuing to alienate ourselves from our responsibility to our environment. We *should* be accountable to our waste streams.  We should understand and have to experience the consequences related to what we buy and how we shop. I don't think so many people would be so cavalier about fast fashion ("it's no big deal!") if we had to deal with landfills and textile dumps in our backyards, for example. (And to be clear, a lot of people do not have the luxury of NOT having to deal with those things.) 

In what ways could community-based composting initiatives play a key role in shaping a more sustainable future?

Education, awareness, and accountability. Accountability being the big one. (See my above rants.) 

Understanding how much waste comes from your community and having a hand in directly dealing with it is incredibly empowering, particularly if you're turning that waste back into something that has value and beauty for your neighbors. I work at a few community compost hubs across Los Angeles where we accept food scraps from local businesses and then give back the finished product to the community for free. The amount of joy it generates is addictive. When we can do things that create joy around sustainability for people, that require them to work together and make something together, then I think we are really creating the building blocks for something that looks like "a future." :)

Thanks to Cass for sharing her time with us! Pre-order Compost This Book and when you’re finished reading, you can use the book itself to start your very own compost pile!