Why Composting is Critical
- Only 60 Years of Farming Left-Scientific American
- How Compost Boosts Carbon Capture-Science Alert
- Can Dirt Save the Earth- NYT
- Wasted! The Story of Food Waste, movie
- What Soil Is and How Industrial Ag depletes it
- Storing Carbon in Soil: Manchester Cricket
- Statewide Composting, GHG and Economic benefits: Biocycle
- Study: Farms save money, more crops, better soil, better environmental impact with compost
- Summary of composting benefits and Black Earth Compost's role: HIngham Anchor
- The Hidden Cost of Sending Food Scraps to Waste Water Treatment Plants: Laura Orlando
- Questions Remain About Using Treated Sewage on Farms
- PFAS Contamination from Sewage based Compost in Maine, banned from future application
- Kiss The Ground
- Microplastic Challenges with Depackaging, PA DEP law
- Pay As You Throw trash program doubles compost collection volumes
- CompostableWare is great for compost operations and increasing participation
Mandatory Compost Supplementation to Soil
Compost reverses global warming through deep carbon storage, AND reinvigorates out our ability to grow food. A major challenge being in MA, is that the vast amount of food we eat comes from outside New England. So we are a net importer of nutrients, and it is not cost effective to ship compost out of the area. We must expand our outlets of where compost should be used to make sure the whole system works. If compost manufacturers over-produce compost, the price plummets, and the cost of collecting food waste rises to offset that. Cities on the west coast know this and have implemented mandatory uses for adding compost to post construction soil to help cities manage rain water run-off problems due to composts' ability to soak in moisture like a sponge: https://kingcounty.gov/depts/dnrp/solid-waste/programs/green-building/home-builders-owners/soil-standard.aspx
So step one is to divert the organics, and step two is to make sure compost has end markets. I would argue step two should be combined limiting our chemical warfare on the environment with an effort to decrease chemical fertilizers due to over fertilization causing algae blooms, low oxygen in the water, and depleting fish stocks. And even more important, restricting the use of pesticides and herbicides.
Illinois has a new law requiring municipalities, DOT, and other state agencies to use of compost:
https://news.wttw.com/2018/08/21/new-law-aims-increase-use-compost-illinois
PFAS and Contaminants in Drinking Water
PFAS are a class of chemicals that are used in a plethora of common household materials like waterproof clothes, furniture, teflon pans and other cookware, fire extinguisher foam, grease resistant paper products, carpets, cosmetics, and more. Just like the rest of the environment and our homes, composts can contain PFAS residual as a result of society's use of these chemicals. PFAS act as grease and water barriers that protect paper fibers in food packaging from becoming soggy. Over the last 15 years some PFAS chemicals have been phased out in the US and as a result, their levels detected in humans and the environment have been dropping.
With most environmental contaminants, as a society until we stop producing PFAS chemicals for use, we will continue to see these 'forever chemicals' in our households, environment and drinking water. We at Black Earth Compost do extensive testing to ensure our compost is high quality. We have rules on what we can accept. We grow food out of our compost that we feed to our families too, so we want to create a very healthy compost that we can use ourselves. This is why we continue to require everybody use BPI certified compostable food service packaging. BPI has a very strict threshold regarding PFAS that is in sync with the European standard.
The primary concern for us is to be careful on getting the right paper products, especially pressed fiber products such as trays, plates, and pizza boxes. That's why we ask that "when in doubt, throw it out". Seek out BPI certified compostable products and inquire respectfully to business owners about certifications they require for their compostable service items. With the public's recent awareness of this issue we can push for adoption of BPI's high standards and leadership. Bottom line: use BPI certified stuff not for composting's sake, but because you don't want PFAS in your food.
List of BPI certified items...
-CEH comprehensive list of PFAS-free compostables
-EcoProducts 'Vanguard' products (Limited availability currently)
-Earth To Go - http://earth-to-go.org/ -Trays and plates
Articles, Books, and Videos
Articles:
BioCycle: Compostable Bags Don’t Impact Compost Quality
Manchester Cricket: A Potential Move, Enhanced Facility on the Town Meeting Docket for Black Earth Compost
The Boston Globe: Newton to offer household curbside food waste collection
The Boston Globe: Why composting is not as hard as you might think
The Boston Globe: In a quest to save the earth — and a little cash — the push for curbside composting
Alliance of Climate and Environmental Stewards: Newburyport Compost Guide
Books:
How to Grow More Vegetables: Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine
Videos:
Timelapse on Planet Temperatures: We are getting baked alive
To solve Climate Change: Reduce Emissions and GROW! Drone ReForestation is awesome, and combating desertification.
Other Resources: