At ecoHiny, we don't just provide you with the best option for eco-friendly toilet paper; we're also here to encourage you to take other sustainable steps. We're your partner in improving the planet, so in addition to opting for 100% bamboo toilet paper, we want to bring you another great suggestion for doing your part.
Have you considered composting? Composting is a simple and effective way to reduce waste and benefit the environment. By composting, you can turn food scraps, yard waste, and other organic materials into nutrient-rich soil that can be used to nourish plants and gardens, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers. It also helps take some strain off our landfills.
If you want to help sustain a healthy ecosystem, read on to learn how to make composting part of your routine!
The Benefits of Composting
There are a few major areas where composting contributes to positives for our planet. It starts with soil.
Composting can significantly improve soil health. When organic waste is composted, it breaks down into a nutrient-rich soil amendment. Soil amendments are materials added to improve the physical properties of soil. (1)
Compost is full of beneficial microorganisms and nutrients that help to improve soil structure and increase water retention. By adding compost to soil, it can help to reduce erosion, improve soil aeration, and increase the soil's ability to hold onto nutrients.
Composting also helps to reduce waste in landfills by diverting organic waste away from the landfill and into a much more environmentally friendly compost pile.
When organic waste is sent to a landfill, it is buried and breaks down slowly over time. Not only do the wasted food nutrients never end up back in the soil, but the rotting produces methane, an extremely potent greenhouse gas. (2)
The 30 million tons of food waste that end up in landfills each year rot and produce methane because the circumstances in a landfill are not conducive to the proper decomposition of Food. Dumps are designed to store material, not to break it down, and that's due to a lack of oxygen. It takes proper oxygen levels for proper composting to occur, and our large landfills don't accommodate that need.
Food waste is one of the most significant contributors to elevated levels of greenhouse gases. In fact, our landfills are responsible for approximately 11% of all global methane emissions. As our population grows, that 11% is expected to climb to 70% by the year 2050 if our current food waste habits remain. (3)
However, when organic waste is composted, it is broken down in a controlled environment that allows for plenty of oxygen which promotes the growth of beneficial microorganisms, and, as mentioned, breaks down the waste into that nutrient-rich soil amendment.
More on What Composting Means to the Environment
Aside from mitigating the release of methane gas through our landfills, composting reduces the need for chemical fertilizers.
By adding compost to the soil, gardeners can reduce their dependence on synthetic fertilizers, which can be expensive and harmful to the environment. Compost releases nutrients slowly over time, which means that plants can access nutrients when they need them rather than being overloaded with nutrients all at once.
This is an incredible perk of compost! Creating your own free, fertile soil means great things for your yard and garden, but also for our ecosystems and biodiversity.
Excess fertilizer can leach into the soil and groundwater, leading to nutrient pollution in nearby water bodies. This can cause harmful algae blooms, and fish kills, which can disrupt the entire aquatic ecosystem! Fertilizers can also alter the pH levels of the soil, making it difficult for native plants to grow and thrive. (4)
Tips to Start Composting
Ready to create your own sustainable way of dealing with waste? Here's an overview of how to get started and what to know about creating a compost pile of your own.
Decide How You'll Compost
You can accomplish successful composting using one of two methods, completely up to your situation. Typically, bins are a simple method for composting when limited space is available, and compost heaps or piles are best suited for those with larger outdoor spaces.
Buying a bin means that your waste is contained and remains tidy in a confined area; however, the perk of a pile is that you're able to compost a far greater amount of waste.
Find a Spot on Soil
Those chemical decomposers do their best work in fairly stable conditions, so it's best to let them enjoy a spot where the temperature and moisture are consistent. Choose a partially shaded spot where your bin won't be dried out from the sun or become saturated by rain.
Whether you purchase a bin or make one yourself, it's best that you place the bin directly on the soil. It may seem sensible to place it on a concrete pad or other surfaces, but you want to attract worms. Placement directly on the soil allows for the worms, insects, and microbes in the soil easy access.
Fill it With Food
When you're finished eating, scrape your scraps into the compost bin! It's that simple! Definitely plan for your food scrap collection process, though.
A fantastic tip is to be prepared when you're preparing meals. If you don't have a predetermined place for food scraps, it's likely they'll just end up in the trash. Designate a compost collection bin and use it when you're chopping veggies or cleaning the kitchen. This handy container will be your companion to each compost pile visit.
Once you have a compost collection started, to speed up the composting process, give it a good mix.
From time to time, turn your compost. This can be handled easily with a garden tool or even by dumping out the contents of the bin and refilling it. Mixing helps aerate the pile, adding that all-important oxygen to the compost equation.
You'll know you have good compost composition when the mixture is dark brown with a crumbly soil texture.
Enjoy the Benefits of Compost
Compost is a gardener's best friend. In fact, it has the nickname "black gold." It really is an ingredient for super soil!
Get that compost into your garden. Unlike chemical fertilizers, you can't have too much compost! A 2-3 inch layer is perfect for your plants to thrive.
What compost can do:
- Add nutrients
- Help your garden retain moisture
- Reduce the need to add fertilizer
- Aid in disease resistance
Other Waste Materials
Actually, you can increase the speed of your composting by mixing in other materials. Lawn clippings, leaves, weeds, coffee grounds, and compostable toilet paper all make the cut. Additionally, an even mix of moist, soft materials with drier ones will make those microbes extra happy.
Here are some examples of possible compostable combinations:
Moist:
- vegetable waste
- fresh lawn clippings and weeds
- coffee or tea grounds
- green plant cuttings and flowers
Dry:
- non-colored or glossy paper
- cardboard
- straw
- dried leaves
- crushed eggshells
Tips to remember:
- You can compost year-round
- You'll typically have composting success in less than six months
- Meat, bones, eggs, grease, and dairy are slow to compost and may cause smells or attract rodents
- Toilet paper is compostable as it's free of toxic chemicals or other harmful substances
ecoHiny's Bamboo Toilet Paper: Your Composting Ally
Something significant you can do for your compost pile is purchase eco-friendly toilet paper. A toilet paper like ecoHiny's 100% bamboo toilet paper is fully biodegradable and contains zero harmful chemicals, dyes, or fragrances. ecoHiny is the perfect companion to your composting routine and complementary to your steps toward sustainable living!
Compostable products promote a healthier environment, and ours comes with the incredible bonus of conserving our precious forests. Join us in taking a more sustainable approach to consumption and waste management along with putting a stop to senseless deforestation.
Help Improve the Planet's Health
Composting is a sensible practice that adds more sustainability to your lifestyle. By committing to a compost bin or pile for your organic waste, you're committing to a routine that reaps benefits for your yard and for Mother Earth!
Add to the impact of your choice to compost and try ecoHiny eco-friendly toilet paper. When you choose ecoHiny, you're choosing a safe, sustainable option for bathroom waste. It's not only a great choice to support your composting goals, but it's also the best choice for saving trees and sparing the use of harsh chemicals.
Explore all ecoHiny has to offer and discover why it's the most sustainable solution for your lifestyle.
- "Choosing a Soil Amendment." Colorado State University, extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/choosing-a-soil-amendment/.
- "Importance of Methane." United States Environmental Protection Agency, www.epa.gov/gmi/importance-methane.
- Dickie, Gloria. "Landfills around the world release a lot of methane ." Reuters, www.reuters.com/business/environment/landfills.
- "Soil pH and Fertilizers." Mississippi State University Extension, extension.msstate.edu/publications/soil-ph-and-fertilizers.
