Want to reduce your household waste by up to 50%? Want to avoid a smelly trash bin? Reduce your carbon footprint? Consider composting! Whether you compost at home or with a service, there are many ways to compost.
There are a variety of reasons to consider composting, like those mentioned above. According to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), food waste is 25% of trash in Massachusetts. Compost enriches the earth for plants and other organisms that live in the soil. In a landfill, organic waste contributes to the generation of methane, and what could be a valuable resource is lost. Methane is a greenhouse gas and contributes to climate change. Not only does food waste take up space in our landfills, but it takes up space in your trash can. By reducing the food waste you throw away, you can reduce your disposal costs. The reduced moisture in your trash from eliminating food waste may also allow you to use a paper bag as a liner, instead of a plastic one. Even our schools are already involved in composting!
Want to compost at home? Great! There are options to compost in your yard, if you have one, or even inside your home, if you don’t. In your yard you may have a compost bin or compost pile, where your food waste will biodegrade into nutrient rich fertilizer. The MassDEP has a brochure for creating a composting pile, as well as for different types of composting bins available here. You can even watch a short video about composting.The Franklin Recycling and Solid Waste Department has a program where you can order a New Age Composting bin through the town. If you live in an apartment or otherwise don’t have a lawn for a composting bin or pile, you can still compost. Vermicomposting is a great indoor composting option and it can even be a fun science experiment if you have children. There are even countertop composting units, such as Pela Earth’s Lomi. If you don’t have the space for the compost you create, you can even donate it to groups like Backyard Growers.
If you can’t compost yourself, consider a service that’ll do it for you. Companies like Black Earth Compost will provide a pickup service from your home. Currently pickups run every other week. Their residential pricing for Franklin is available here.
