Compost is a soil-like material derived from organic waste – food, yard trimmings, manure, etc.
The composting process occurs naturally when organic materials “decompose” into their basic components. If you leave food scraps in the ground long enough, they will eventually break down into compost. It is the most natural form of recycling – nearly all of the soil we use to grow our crops started, at one time, as organic matter that decomposed into fertilizer.
However, you can speed this decomposition process. Under ideal conditions, you can expedite the transition from organic materials into high-nutrient soil.
In addition to being a rich source of all-natural nutrients for food crops, compost also:
- Increases drought resistance
- Boosts soil structure and health
- Reduces the need for supplemental water
- Controls pests, reducing the need for chemicals
- Decreases reliance on harmful, nitrogen-based fertilizers
- Helps us grow healthier, more nutritious crops and plants
- Prevents many common plant diseases
- Provides higher crop yields, reducing the need to clear more land
- Restores soils contaminated by hazardous waste and chemicals
- Removes oil, grease, heavy metals, and solids from storm runoff
- Improves soil aeration and water retention
And if all this wasn’t reason enough, compost also reduces the need for landfills – one of the largest contributors of methane and other harmful greenhouse gases.
The Old Way of Doing Things Isn’t Working Anymore
Consider the following:
- We already waste 1/3 of all the food grown for human consumption. This figure doesn’t include yard trimmings, paper, livestock feed, and other organic recyclable materials that also go to waste.
- From 2000 to 2010, the world lost 13 million hectares (32,123,700 acres) of forest – with agriculture being the primary driver behind this unbelievable loss.
What does this mean exactly? It means we’re clearing precious trees to grow food we don’t eat. And we often use toxic fossil fuel-based fertilizers to cultivate that food – a process that makes the soil, air, and food all less healthy.
No part of this equation makes sense to us? Wouldn’t it be better to:
- Reduce food waste by growing only what we need instead of discarding 1/3 of what we cultivate? This eliminates the need to clear more trees.
- Ensure that the crops we grow are healthy, natural, and safe rather than relying on synthetic fertilizers made from petroleum?
- Boost crop yields naturally using organic fertilizers rather than petrochemicals and deforestation?
At Re-Nuble we believe that these goals make a lot more sense.
Composted fertilizers made from recycled organic materials offer a safe and affordable way to achieve these very sensible goals. To learn how Re-Nuble approaches organic fertilizers, click here.