Composting an easy way to help planet

There have been several disheartening articles recently about the growing trash and recycling problems in our communities. The landfills are overfilled and need to be expanded or new ones built. Recycling even common plastics, glass and paper is increasingly difficult because China won’t do it cheaply anymore. It is imperative that we all try to reuse what we have and buy less disposable “stuff” and all the plastic and cardboard packaging that comes along with it so that less recycling is necessary.

While this takes some planning, there is one sure way that we can all make a big difference starting today: composting food waste. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that more food reaches landfills and incinerators than any other single material in our everyday trash, constituting 22 percent of discarded municipal solid waste. Even someone with a small yard can compost all nonmeat food waste along with yard waste in a composting unit without any smell or mess and fertilize a garden for free.

The Albany County Cornell Cooperative Extension offers composting units for sale at a discount. There are also services available to pick up food waste, and local environmental groups that are trying to get this service available to everyone. Food waste is the easiest recycling we can do, and we don’t have to depend on China. We need to start today.

Christy Mcelligott Selkirk