LEARN
This is Why
The Climate Crisis is Real
As a direct result of climate change, we’re seeing an unprecedented level of disruptions to our core way of life that will continue to get worse unless immediate action is taken. We have no choice but to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and evolve the way we use resources. There is hope for a better future, but we must act NOW.
Food Waste in Landfills
is a Climate Change Issue
According to the most recent EPA Municipal Solid Waste Data, Americans send more food to landfills than any other material. Almost 25% of what we send to landfills every year is food! When that food breaks down in landfills it creates methane, which is over 80 times worse as a short term greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
Compostable Products Were Created to Help Keep Food Out of Landfills
One reason that so much food is sent to landfills is because it is typically mixed in with non-compostable plastic and paper packaging. This unfortunate mixing process creates a scenario where both the packaging and the food has to be sent to together to the landfill.
Imagine if all of that plastic and paper packaging was compostable instead!
Then it could all go together to a compost facility, and the greenhouse gas impacts of sending it to the landfill would be mitigated.
THAT is why compostable products were created, and the reason we are so focused on supporting the infrastructure developments needed to create a national organics diversion system that includes food scraps and certified compostable packaging.
What’s more, the resulting finished compost from this organics diversion system has its own environmental benefits above and beyond the mitigation of landfill methane.
Finished Compost Can:
- Help reduce soil erosion
- Assist in stormwater management
- Promote healthier plant growth
- Improve soil health
- Assist in wetland reclamation
Renewable and Post-Consumer Materials are Important Too
Single-use products are a staple in our culture, and it is going to take a series of fundamental systems shifts before reusables are a viable alternative. While we bridge to that future state, the materials we choose to make those single-use products will matter more than ever. Any way you slice it, renewable and post-consumer materials represent a more responsible approach to resource use for single-use items, and are consistent with the principles of a more circular economy.