Waste management

It strikes me that when most people think of waste management, they probably picture well-run landfills, complete with gas monitoring and water sanitation. I am also sure that many people have no problem adding their banana peels to it since, in their mind, it'll just decompose. So I know those people feel very good about themselves when they recycle their newspapers and coke cans and fill their biodegradable garbage bags with orange peels and dinner leftovers. I know this because I used to be that person.

So what's changed? I've educated myself. While I fully admit I have much more to learn, and by no means am an expert on this subject, I still feel better knowing what I know. Being aware allows one to make positive choices and changes to help better their world and its environment.

Decaying organic waste in landfills is a major cause of methane production. Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, can be properly collected from a landfill and even utilized as a beneficial energy source. But there are a whopping 6.8 billion people living on Earth. That's one helluva lot of banana peels. I find it difficult to believe they're all going to properly maintained landfills.

Especially when there's a better option. Cue inspirational music. Composting is a (relatively) quick and easy way to not only cleanly dispose of your organic waste, but also to convert it into something useful. There are many different methods of compositing and you don't need to suffer any nasty smells or have a yard to do it.

Now here, if you've been paying attention, is the big question: decomposing organic waste is decomposing organic waste. Doesn't composting create the same nasty gases as landfills? The answer is NO! A properly maintained compost heap/tumbler/vermicomposter/etc.) is an aerobic process, where the waste, consisting of both carbon and nitrogen-rich sources, is churned and exposed to oxygen. There is no smell and no vermin. However in anaerobic methods, waste is basically left to rot, creating a stinky, moldy pile of gas-producing matter. Kinda like, oh, say, a smelly landfill?

More to come, you know it.