Compost kitchen waste and reduce landfill emissions

We all have kitchen wastes to deal with. Discarding them as rubbish is habitual, but did you know that rubbish is generally landfilled?

Rubbish in landfill harms the environment. Diverting your wastes to a home recycling system like a compost bin is a productive alternative.

Why is recycling kitchen waste important?

Australian waste statistics are staggering. Households generate 2.5 million tonnes of food waste per year, and most of it (92%) goes to landfills ^[1] where it emits methane, a greenhouse gas which traps 84x more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Methane intensifies global heating, so a swift methane emission reduction is important.

Groundwater contamination is another problem with landfills. Food waste rotting in landfills releases water which picks up heavy metals, pharmaceuticals and other contaminants as it flows downwards. This polluted liquid, or leachate seeps through soil to contaminate our underground water sources.

Recycle kitchen waste by home composting

Recycling kitchen waste at home is effective in reducing planet-heating emissions from two sources - directly from the waste in landfill, as well as transport emissions (associated with collecting and carting rubbish to landfills).

Another benefit is reducing groundwater pollution by having less kitchen waste rotting and releasing water in landfill.