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Waste reduction fast facts: Compost
Garbage and recycling › Recycle at school › Fast facts about waste reduction › Compost
This resource is not exhaustive nor is it all-inclusive, but can be cited and dated from primary and secondary sources. To find out more about the methodology or accuracy, contact the referenced source.
Metro does not validate nor endorse any of these facts.
- Yard trimmings and food scraps accounted for 25 percent of all Municipal solid waste created nationally in 2006. US EPA "Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures for 2006"
http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw06.pdf - Out of the 31.1 million tons of food waste generated nationally in 2005, only 2.2% (.68 million tons) was recovered for composting. -US EPA, "Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures for 2006"
http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw06.pdf - The cost-prohibitive nature of residential food waste separation and collection is the primary deterrent to expanding food waste recovery efforts.
http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/rrr/composting/basic.htm - Also in 2005, 32.4 million tons of yard debris were generated nationally, and 62% (20.1 million tons) were recovered for composting.-US EPA, "Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures for 2006"
http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw06.pdf - About 20 million tons of yard trimmings were composted in 2006, representing a five-fold increase since 1990. US EPA "Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States :Facts and Figures for 2006"
http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw06.pdf - 20.8 million tons of compostable material (including yard trimmings, food scraps, and other MSW organic material) were recovered for composting in 2006 nationally, compared with 20.6 million tons in 2005. US EPA "Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures for 2006"
http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw06.pdf - Oregon generates more than a million tons of food waste and yard debris each year. This makes up more than 20% of the total waste stream disposed. Oregon DEQ "2007 Oregon Material recovery and waste generation report" September 2008.
http://www.deq.state.or.us/lq/pubs/docs/sw/2007MRWGRatesReport.pdf - In Oregon the amount of organic materials (food, yard, and wood wastes) recovered decreased approximately 5%. Oregon DEQ "2007 Oregon Material recovery and waste generation report" September 2008.
http://www.deq.state.or.us/lq/pubs/docs/sw/2007MRWGRatesReport.pdf - In the state of Oregon in 2005 food waste accounted for 14.92% of total waste generated, and yard debris 4.3% of total waste. Oregon DEQ "Recycling characterization and composition study" 2005/2006.
http://www.deq.state.or.us/lq/sw/disposal/2005study.htm - In the state of Oregon in 2005, wood (including pallets and dimensional lumber) accounted for 13.57% of the total waste generated. Oregon DEQ "Recycling characterization and composition study" 2005/2006.
http://www.deq.state.or.us/lq/sw/disposal/2005study.htm - Organic material is bulky, takes up space in landfills, and produce methane gas that must be recovered or burned and produce liquids that contribute to leachate.
http://www.deq.state.or.us/lq/pubs/factsheets/sw/OregonFoodYardDebris.pdf - Disposing of food waste in a landfill contributes to global warming. Every metric dry ton of food that goes to a landfill may generate .25 metric tons of methane in the first 120 days. Thus, composting this food waste would reduce emissions by the equivalent of up to 6 metric tons of CO2. USCC Factsheet "Greenhouse Gases and the Role of Composting :A Primer for Compost Producers"
http://www.compostingcouncil.org/education/resources.php - Recent waste composition studies estimate that approximately 72% of the municipal waste stream going to landfills is organic (6% wood, 7% textiles/leather, 13% yard debris, 12% food scraps, 34% paper). USCC Position Statement: Keeping Organics Out of Landfills
http://www.compostingcouncil.org/education/resources.php - Currently there are 23 states that ban some fashion of organics disposal in landfills, mostly leaves, grass and other yard debris. USCC Position Statement: Keeping Organics Out of Landfills
http://www.compostingcouncil.org/education/resources.php - About 3,470 community composting programs are operational, an increase from 3,227 in 2002. Biocycle Magazine 2006. (From US EPA "Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures for 2006")
http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw06.pdf - Compost can capture and destroy 99.6 percent of industrial volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) in contaminated air.
http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/rrr/composting/basic.htm - Half to two thirds of the material going into landfills is derived from biomass. If separated, this material could be utilized as a liquid, solid or gaseous biofuel or made into compost. - Biocycle Magazine, Mark Jenner, "Supercharging Solid Waste Energy Production," February 2008
- The burning of leaves, brush and other vegetation releases a number of hazardous air pollutants, some of which can cause cancer and other adverse health effects -Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.gov/ttnatw01/burn/burnpg.html - Compost-enriched soil can also reduce erosion, alleviate soil compaction, and help control disease and pest infestation in plants. "Innovative Uses of Compost Erosion Control, Turf remediation and Landscaping" EPA530-F-97-043 October 1997.
http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/rrr/composting/pubs/erosion.pdf - Compost bioremediation has proven effective in degrading or altering many types of contaminants, such as chlorinated and non-chlorinated hydrocarbons, wood-preserving chemicals, solvents, heavy metals, pesticides, petroleum products, and explosives. "Innovative Uses of Compost Bioremediation and Pollution prevention "EPA530-F97-042,October 1997
http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/rrr/composting/pubs/bioremed.pdf - Mature compost can control several plant diseases without the use of synthetic fungicides or fumigants. -Environmental Protection Agency, "An Analysis of Composting As an Environmental Remediation Technology," EPA/530-R-98-008, April 1998
- Fifty-two percent of Metro single-family households engage in home composting or some other form of onsite organics management (e.g., grasscycling). -Metro, "2004 Home Composting Survey," Conducted by Market Decisions Corporation, December 2004
- Food scraps are twenty-five percent of disposed residential waste in the Portland Metro region. -Metro, Internal Report, 2005
- Grass clippings contain valuable nutrients that can generate up to 25 percent of your lawn's total fertilizer needs when left on the lawn. -Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet: Composting at Home, 1999
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