Composting

It is well known that a major issue facing us is the high volume of waste generated daily, approximately 1 kilogram or 2.2 lbs per person. What should we do with all this waste we produce?   Our top priority is to reduce the amount of waste we generate and secondly, to reuse and recycle as much as possible. A growing emphasis has been placed on these three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Composting provides a means of accomplishing all three of the R’s. 

What is composting? Composting is a way of harnessing the natural process of decomposition to speed up the decay of waste. About sixty (60) percent of the waste we generate islandwide is organic in nature and a large component of this can be composted. Through composting, the amount of garbage we send to the disposal facilities can be reduced and the organic matter reused as fertilizer. 

Composting dates back to the history of early agriculture. Many find that composting is as much of an art as a science. Recent concern about managing wastes and producing food in an environmentally sound manner has led to a renewed interest in small-scale, backyard composting as well as an interest in developing large-scale, commercial and municipal composting systems.

With a small investment of time, you can contribute to the solution to our country’s waste management problem, while enriching the soil and improving the health of your yard and garden.