Greetings from Athens, where everyday is Earth Day! Athens participates in the recycling cycle by taking in organic waste from nearby Culver City compost, which is subsequently used to make fertilizer for vegetable and fruit gardens. The compost material is licensed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and OMRI Listed (Organic Materials Review Institute), so it can be used in USDA National Organic Program-certified organic farming operations.
The community, the economy, the crops and gardens, and the environment may all reap the rewards of composting. It’s a crucial step toward mitigating climate change on an individual and societal level. There is less of a learning curve than you might expect, and the end result is a straightforward answer to a tricky problem.
What is Compost made of?
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Compost is widely known in the gardening and farming communities as a valuable organic soil amendment that can be used to boost nutrient levels in the soil and increase plant growth. Composting is both a noun and verb, referring to the process of breaking down and stabilizing organic materials including foliage, grass cuttings, kitchen waste, manures, woody waste, and municipal biosolids.
Combining organic wastes
Compost can be made in many different ways. The primary actions include amassing green (wet) and brown (dry) components, selecting a spot in your yard, maintaining watering, and combining regularly. Any food waste that doesn’t include things like oil, grease, fats, or dairy is considered green material. Eggshells and used coffee grinds can be discarded in the compost bin. Your compost output can be boosted by using food leftovers from fruits and vegetables. The brown things in your yard are the ones that are dying. Materials such as shredded paper and finely diced wood can also be used. Green and brown elements work together to decompose the waste and provide a potent fertilizer for your vegetation when combined.
Decomposed organic materials
The physical disintegration and biochemical change of dead matter’s complex organic compounds into simpler organic and inorganic molecules constitute the biological process known as decomposition. The breakdown of organic materials is a naturally occurring biological process.
Decomposed plant and animal matter, microbial cells and tissues, and compounds from plant roots are all included. Humus is a dark brown, dense, spongy material with a nice, earthy scent that results from the complete breakdown of organic matter.
Benefits of Culver City Compost
Culver City compost green containers (formerly known as Yard Waste containers) are now accepting food waste as part of the city’s Organics Composting Program. This includes items like meat, dairy, vegetable peels, ground coffee, tissue paper, moldy bread, wax cartons, used pizza boxes, egg shells, and biodegradable take out containers and utensils. Yard trash is still acceptable in residents’ organics receptacles for industrial composting, but biodegradable items are not.
Saves water by helping the soil hold moisture
In addition to composting’s many other advantages, it also helps preserve water supplies. The process of top- or side-dressing, in which compost is applied to bare soils, is an excellent barrier against the evaporation of soil moisture. A just 5% increase of organic matters significantly increases the soil’s water retention capacity, therefore compost can significantly cut down on watering demands for plants.
Recycle organic resources
Every day, the typical American disposes of 4.4 pounds of garbage. The cost of regularly discarding such garbage shows up on the monthly statement. Composting food scraps and other organic household waste is an excellent way to reduce the amount of garbage you have to throw away each day, as well as to help the environment.
After discussing the negative effects that rubbish has on the natural world, it should come as no surprise that minimizing trash is a major advantage of composting.
Eliminates the need for chemical fertilizers
Adding compost to your garden is beneficial since it can increase the effectiveness of the soil by introducing beneficial bacteria and nutrients. Those who are just getting their gardens started may also find this to be a tremendous help. Over time, if you fertilize your soil with compost, it will become strong and resilient, allowing you to grow a bounty of fruits and vegetables.
Compost can reduce or even eliminate the requirement for synthetic fertilizer by supplying many of the essential nutrients that plants require for growth. The production of synthetic fertilizer requires a lot of energy and results in the release of a lot of greenhouse gases. Overusing artificial fertilizer increases the risk of nutrient runoff, which in turn increases the likelihood of a wide range of environmental issues.
