By Liz Gordon-Hancock
This is Part Two of a two-part series on composting.

In Part One of this series, Wendy Chappell-Dick covered the practicalities of creating and maintaining your own compost pile.

Whether you're an avid gardener or an environmentally conscientious soul, there are many benefits to composting.

The Icon interviewed Sally Weaver Sommer, who researched at least five benefits to composting for non-farmers. Weaver Sommer recently presented her findings, alongside Wendy Chappell-Dick, to the Transition Bluffton group.

Here are five benefits of composting that Weaver Sommer shared:

Compost reduces greenhouse gases. 

• May be old news to many of you, but I only learned of this benefit a year ago.  When food waste goes to landfills, it cannot decay efficiently and produces methane, a greenhouse gas.  In Ohio, the typical household throws away an estimated 474 pounds of food waste. The EPA estimates that 21 percent of what is put into landfills by municipalities is compostable, according to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

Compost improves soil quality. 

• This is what many of us first think of when we think about composting.  Composting can take old worn-out soil and make it into rich soil for plants and trees.  An organic method of revitalizing the soil also helps us realize the first benefit we talked about.  Greenhouse gas emissions related to the production of fertilizers and pesticides is reduces as the need for these are minimized or eliminated.  A new piece of information for me is that this higher quality of soil also holds or sequesters carbon dioxide.

Compost helps clean up contaminated soil. 

• “According to the EPA, the composting process has been shown to absorb odors and treat volatile organic compounds like heating fuels and explosives.  In some cases, wood preservatives, pesticides, and both chlorinated and non-chlorinated hydrocarbons in contaminated soils were eradicated in the compost process.” (Quote by Suzi Milovanovic from "Five Benefits of Composting")

Compost helps control erosion. 

• You’ve all seen the little Riley after heavy rains.  The muddy water is cause by erosion off the fields throughout the country side.  Composting increases infiltration and permeability of heavy soils and improves water-holding capacity.

Compost makes and saves money. 

• Growers need less water, less expensive chemicals and fertilizers, higher yields of agricultural crops, and less expensive way to remediate.

To read how to set up your own compost pile, click here.

References used for this article:

• Milovanovic, Suzi.  "Five Benefits of Composting"
• Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.  Composting and Ohio’s Food Scrap Recovery Initiative.   February 24, 2017.