Learn about Composting and How To Compost
A compost bin within the David McGuirk Memorial Zen Garden helps demonstrate the ease of composting at home and work. Composting helps to reduce energy waste (eg. the energy used transporting organic waste from one site to another -- in Miami typically by crane truck to a landfill), and captures nutrients that can be reused in garden beds.
(Compost Bin -- David McGuirk Memorial Zen Garden)
To note:
- More than 30% of what is thrown away in the US is compostable. Food scraps and other organic materials make up the single largest group of items filling up our landfills today.
- Organic matter in the landfill decomposes anaerobically, meaning without access to oxygen. When food breaks down without oxygen, it produces greenhouse gases (primarily methane), which can escape the landfill and accumulate in the atmosphere, contributing to global warming.
- Redirecting waste from landfills can help save fuel (to move waste) and room in landfills, while also capturing the nutrients from our food scraps and returning them to the soil (when compost is added to soil).
- Compost is a slow-release nutrient source for plants. The diverse materials in compost break down at different rates, slowly releasing nutrients over a long period of time.
