Composting Research Paper

We as human beings already acknowledge that we create a ton of waste and there are many different approaches that we have taken to help minimize them and to dispose of the wastes correctly. Over the years things such as recycling has become more of a common thing, especially here within Fort Collins. Wastes can come in many different forms ranging from human waste to food waste and so much more. In result these different types of wastes usually cause negative impacts on our environment, such as a depletion in the ozone layer, the destruction of an ecosystem, and the overall downgrade of the Earth’s health. Yet as a result groups, programs, and campaigns, such as Save Your Food, have arisen to the spotlight to help fix certain problems like food wastage.

To succeed in the initial stage of this project, a composter, site and strategy need to be set in place. In order for the project to be financially feasible, it is important to identify how much material is available, how many and what type of generators we are to serve, and how much material is expected to be generated by the project.

Throwing away food on college campus is a bigger probelm than what people think. College students, at there dinning halls, are wasting pounds and pounds of food each day. Campuses all across the United States are coming up with solutions to stop food wasting on their campuses. Wasting food can cause many problems such as, environmenetal, cause significant water usuage, and more money being spent. College students should be all in because if colleges have to spend more money then students have to spend more money. In college, less money is always the way to go. Reducing food waste can save money and better help the environment.

First, I think that we should be composting for area school and all around use. But some would disagree around having composting in the school.There are different reasons why we should have those types of things in grade school, middle school and even high school. It could help with making this easier on everyone and not always having waist time on each day and this could also me could just being use just being in the house hold and your having to be a stay home mother and cooking a lot of food for family and friend all around the place. I will being going to tell different things on how thing would save time and also people would that this would be wrong.

It may seem like a harmless act, however, food waste emits a toxic greenhouse gas known as methane. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, methane is the second most prevalent greenhouse gas emitted from human activities. In 2013, it accounted for about 10% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from human activities. Greenhouse gases contribute to global warming and they could potentially contaminate groundwater by being stored in landfills. Not only does food waste release toxins in the air, it causes an unpleasant odor that could potentially attract unwanted animals. So how much food waste is there exactly? “In 2010 an estimated 31% of the food in U.S. stores and homes were uneaten, and Americans shipped approximately 34 million tons of food waste to landfills” (Dahl). However, the negative talk against landfills has recently caused states to take initiative to reduce the how much waste gets transported into the landfills, for example, according to Dahl, Connecticut was the first to take such action. They did so by limiting the companies that generate the most waste, but they are not the only state with this type of plan. This essay will discuss two ways to give food waste a second chance by making it more

Transportation of waste to landfills, processing waste through garbage disposals, composting, and animal feed are the primary methods of food waste disposal in the United States. Although these methods have their benefits, they also have limitations and some negative effects on our environment. As the world population continues to grow, it will likely cause more pressure on waste management. Managing this waste is a constant concern to food service establishments. The cost to travel to the landfill is steadily increasing since 2008 because of the increase in food waste. With the disposal of waste, we have to consider the labor, storage facilities, supplies like bags, equipment rental, haul charges, and food safety. For instance, food waste processed by a garbage disposal requires the use of water and energy. Composting requires the use of vehicles, farm equipment, land, and labor. These are all costly endeavors that affect the environment but must be done in order to process the massive amount of food waste that is produced in the US.

Composting is the controlled decomposition of organic materials by microorganisms. Compost is partially decomposed organic matter. Humus is completely decomposed organic matter. Also mulch is an organic or inorganic materials spread in a layer on the soil surface.

Across the country cities have taken the initiative to reduce their carbon footprint and enact stricter regulations for sorting trash and collecting it. As stated by Phuong Le of the Seattle Times, “Striving to reduce the trash it sends to landfills, Seattle has banned foam take-out containers and plastic bags, told residents they must recycle cardboard and compost food scraps...” (“Seattle Idea”). In order to eliminate excess waste from entering landfills, Seattle has prohibited the distribution of non-decomposable items and encouraged composting and recycling. By introducing strict regulations on non-decomposable materials entering the city and having its citizens sort their own trash, the amount of waste that a city sends to landfills will be reduced. Wheeler, journalist for the Baltimore Sun, states, “Recycling that food waste instead of burning it or burying can save money...and converting it to compost can help grow new food by enhancing depleted soils” (“Maryland Firm”). Wasted food can be converted into compost instead of being discarded in landfills can be used in the growth of new foods while enhancing the soil around it. Since compost is rich in nutrients, the city not only saves money by recycling food waste but it can also profit since the compost can be sold to local farmers and gardeners.

The reasons why we need recycling at school and the area is because with recycling it can make so many things out of bottles or cans even milk cartons too. These resources can make cars buses and houses, trash can make that . The recycling area makes a lot of things and you might think it’s gross but it’s better then putting it in the ground of the earth. You think it is no difference with no recycling but there is and it’s with pollution, all the trash put in the ground it’s still littering and littering makes pollution you probably already know.

I think that taking all the uneaten food from school cafeterias and composting it is a great and very earth efficient idea. Many kids do not eat all the food they are given at lunch. So this idea the food that kids were going to throw away, so it can go rot in a landfill, can go towards a good cause and do something more then rot.

I believe that there should be composting because it will help out the environment and will save lots of money. Uneaten foods should not just go to waste and go in the trash, it should be recycled and used as soil and fertilizer. Schools with space on their campus can consider onsite composting in addition to—or instead of­— sending food scraps off-site. Most schools send a lot of food offsite or just put it to waste which they really dont want to do. There are benefits and drawbacks to on site composting. The benefits are clear: Students see what is happening to their food scraps; they learn to tend the pile; and they can do research on the pile by conducting experiments. Students also reap what they sow. At the end of the year there is a

This report analyzes the economic impacts of food waste in American schools and discusses the causes and implications of post-harvest food waste, and the ways in which food waste harms a school’s budget, by examining both quantitative and qualitative factors. A survey was given to obtain high school student opinions regarding food waste, and an experiment was conducted to examine the economic relationship between trayless dining and plate waste. The survey revealed that many students were not aware of the detrimental effects of food waste and were willing to change their eating behaviors to reduce the issue. The survey also revealed that the two biggest factors contributing to food waste are the taste of the food and the duration of time schools

There is so much food waste in the United States and most of it ends up in our landfills. Much of our fresh produce like fruits and vegetables go bad before they are consumed. Many restaurants serve over-sized portions which also create waste. Filling our landfills with food waste increases greenhouse gases and also increases water consumption.

Even though composting has its disadvantages it is still a better alternative than food wasting and it is a safer way to get rid of non-edible foods or food scraps. According to Chen it keeps farm soil moist due to its ability to retain water for long periods of time making the soil healthier for plants and crops to grow (Chen). Composting is also beneficial for the environment because it reduces pollution and methane gas, and it protects ground water quality. If food scraps are not making it to landfills then it is reducing the production of methane gas making it less likely for global warming to occur. In addition, it is a cheap alternative that benefits the crops being grown and contributes to the health of the planet, something that should

College students should be given information on composting in order for them to know the positive effects. When students get to college, they are no longer under parental super vision. They do not have an authority figure telling them how to sort their trash. Students are able to think for themselves and make their own decisions. College is the perfect situation for students to change the way they thing about throwing away their trash. Students may not have thought about composting as an option because they were never given the resources to partake in composting. If student know how to compost and are given the resources, then there are opportunities students will jump up to take. As a college student myself, I am able to make my own decisions and have chosen to know more about the different ways to throw my trash out. On a quiz published in Sustainability, a casebook for writers, there are questions based on how well you know about nature. I was only able to answer four of the twenty questions, which means I got the score of, “It`s hard to be in two places at once when you`re not anywhere at all” (Sustainability 11). Meaning, I am more of a city person who knows nothing about living in the country. This would make sense on why I was standing in front of the trashcan, starring at the different slots, wondering which slot to throw out my waste. If students are given the information they need to effectively compost, then they will make positive decisions. Students who start