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Does anyone know about the relative trade-offs of composting and recycling? Many of the trendier environmentally-aware people I see around me seem to prefer com
by hackuser 11y ago
Does anyone know about the relative trade-offs of composting and recycling? Many of the trendier environmentally-aware people I see around me seem to prefer composting, including compostable disposable cups, etc.
But it's not clear to me that composting would be better. What is the chemical composition of this compost of somewhat random materials? Is it safe? Is there waste? Is it usable as quality compost? Does it get used? How much demand is there? etc.
- rwmj 11y agoYou also need to look at fuel costs of transportation. I compost all my food waste, and use the compost to grow vegetables. The council could also take my food waste, but the nearest municipal composter is apparently about 20 miles away.
- frankus 11y agoOne big advantage to composting is that little bits of food clinging to the container are a feature, not a bug. So it saves a lot of water and (if hot water is needed) energy over washing and recycling paper or (with PLA and such) plastic. The composting facilities I'm aware of are for-profit, but they typically get paid at both ends of the business (http://cedar-grove.com/about-us/faq/ http://cedar-grove.com/about-us/faq/).