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Home Composting Each year over half of our household garbage is made up of food and garden waste. Most of this organic waste can be recycled by composting it. Composting converts kitchen and garden waste into dark coloured soil that is high in nutrients. Composting is the name given to a method of breaking down organic waste, usually in a container or heap (Compost bins or heaps are available from some local council). Decomposition occurs due to the action of naturally occurring bacteria and fungi. Small creatures, such as earthworms, slaters and millipedes help to complete the process.
Composting is not new. Compost has been used in crop production for over 4000 years. Artificial fertilizers only became widely available a century ago. Australia, an old and eroded continent, is suffering from land degradation. By turning food scraps and organic garden waste into compost you can:
What not to add in your compost bin: Meat and bones, dairy products, diseased plants, metals, plastic and glass, animal manures, fat, magazines, large branches, weeds that have seeds or underground stems, bread or cake, sawdust from treated timber. Greenhouse gases
As organic waste decomposes in landfill it produces the greenhouse gases, methane and carbon dioxide. These greenhouse gases contribute to worldwide climate change. Most landfill gas is made up of 54% methane and 40% carbon dioxide. Methane is twenty four times more damaging as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Scientists predict that climate change will impact on all our lives, especially in the areas of agriculture and human health.
What happens to your Green Organics?
Links: Easy CompostingWorm Farms
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