Industrial composting is completely different from home composting. Each works in very different ways to break down compostable material. Home or community outdoor composting is acceptable for ‘green’ and ‘brown’ matter such as grass clippings, twigs and kitchen scraps that are not animal-related. Occasionally turning these clippings and scraps over with a pitchfork or shovel […]
We have been accustomed to tossing kitchen scraps and wasted food into the trash to be hauled off to a landfill. But the landfills are full, and the methane gas they expel from incomplete decomposition is toxic. Methane has as much as 80 times more earth warming capacity than carbon dioxide. It’s a major contributor […]
You may know that an organic banana peel can be composted at home, but what about PHA bioplastics? Polyhydroxyalcanoates (PHA) are plastics that are made from canola oil instead of chemical polymers. It will be in use more often as major companies make a concerted effort to go green. But ultimately it’s up to you […]
The real answer is: just barely. Results of various studies show that only about 10% of plastic bags ever make it to the appropriate recycling places. Plastic grocery bags were invented in the 1960’s by a Swedish engineer with the intention of having a multiple-use function, to save trees that were being turned into paper […]
By some estimates, each person generates close to five pounds of waste per day. That’s 1,825 pounds a year. We are not living in harmony with our environment. What can be recycled, repurposed or cut out entirely, especially as the most waste-accumulating season of the year is upon us? When you choose to make being […]
This is the time of year when the holiday home and table are festooned with pumpkins, squash and the abundance of fall harvest time. Pumpkins, as well as a variety of squashes, are especially perfect foods: wholly useful, and completely compostable. After the holidays, instead of being put into the trash, they can continue to […]
New York City has gotten serious about sustainability with a city-wide, user-friendly composting program that includes weekly residential curbside collection of compostables alongside regular trash and recycling pickup. Curbside Beginning in October, 2022, sanitation workers will pick up compost bins of yard trimmings, food scraps, food that has spoiled, and food-soiled paper products direct from […]
