Plymouth Environmental Action Team

11/01/2026

What is happening to our dumps when we don't do anything about food waste composting...

When food waste is thrown into a landfill instead of being composted, it gets buried under layers of trash where oxygen cannot reach it. Without air, the organic material undergoes anaerobic decomposition (rotting without oxygen), which triggers severe environmental and physical consequences inside the dump.

Here is what Happens Inside the Landfill...

• Massive Methane Production: Because microbes break down food in an oxygen-free environment, they release methane gas. Methane is an extremely potent greenhouse gas—roughly 27 to 30 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over a 100-year timescale, and 80 to 85 times stronger over a 20-year period.

• The "Dry Tomb" Effect: Landfills are engineered to pack and seal trash tightly to prevent shifting. This traps food waste in a compressed "dry tomb" where natural breakdown slows down drastically. A head of lettuce that might decompose in a few weeks in an open compost pile can take up to 25 years to slowly mummify and break down inside a landfill.

• Toxic Leachate Formation: As moisture trickles through the pile of rotting food and mixed garbage, it creates a dark, polluted liquid called leachate. If a landfill's protective liners fail, this toxic soup can leach downward and risk contaminating local groundwater supplies.

• Wasted Space and Resources: Food waste is the single largest component of U.S. municipal solid waste, making up roughly 24% to 24.1% of what goes into landfills. Even worse, it accounts for an estimated 58% of all landfill methane emissions.

The Contrast: What Composting Does Instead...

• Aerobic Breakdown: In contrast to a landfill, Aerobic Composting uses oxygen, heat, and beneficial microbes to break down food cleanly into carbon dioxide and a stable, nutrient-rich soil amendment.

• Resource Recovery: Instead of creating climate-warming gas trapped in a dump, composting recycles valuable nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic matter back into gardens, farms, and local ecosystems!

LET'S ALL OF US COMPOST FOOD WASTE!

10/31/2026

Composting rules and regulations in Wisconsin.

Composting rules and regulations in Wisconsin Wisconsin’s composting rules include basic operating and location requirements to prevent composting from becoming a nuisance to neighbors and to ensure nutrients are not released to groundwater or nearby lakes and streams. The rules require most compo...

10/30/2026

For all of you who are considering food waste backyard composting, here is a great site that shares their investigations/testing of the best equipment for composting....

We tested 35 composters in our own kitchens and backyards to find the best compost bins. In addition to our real-world testing, we spoke to three gardening experts to learn more about the best composters.

10/29/2026

Are you curious about composting?

Be a "CURIOUS GEORGE!"

Mr Renkins tells George about compost and how it helps plants grow....

10/27/2026

Winter composting is entirely feasible and can be quite effective. Here are some key strategies to successfully compost food waste during the colder months:

Choose the Right Location...

Sheltered Area: Place your compost bin in a location that receives sunlight to help maintain warmth.

Insulation: Consider insulating your compost bin with straw bales or blankets to retain heat.

Maintain the Right Balance-Carbon to Nitrogen Ratio: Aim for a balanced mix of brown materials (like dried leaves, cardboard) and green materials (like food scraps).

Chop Up Materials: Smaller pieces decompose faster, so chop food scraps into smaller sizes before adding them to the pile.

Keep It Aerated: Turn the Pile: Regularly turning the compost helps aerate it and speeds up decomposition, even in winter.

Use a Compost Aerator: This tool can help mix the materials without needing to fully turn the pile.

Monitor Moisture Levels & Avoid Over-Watering: Snow and rain can add moisture, so check the pile regularly. If it’s too wet, add dry materials.

Cover the Pile: Use a tarp or lid to protect the compost from excess moisture and to retain heat.
Consider Indoor Options

Bokashi Method: This fermentation method allows for composting food scraps indoors, even in winter.

Vermicomposting: Using worms to compost food scraps indoors can be a great alternative during cold months.

The end of the warm season shouldn't stop you from keeping compost. You can save those fruit and vegetable scraps for your garden all winter long. It's easy in a cold climate.

10/23/2026

Several children's and folk songs feature leaves and composting, including popular tracks like Hap Palmer's "The Compost Bin" and the punk-rock tune "Don't Bag the Leaves (The Fall Leaves Composting Song)" by Compost or Not.

ENJOY...

https://on.soundcloud.com/4dMQGed3yZKUL4D1Uf

Fall leaves are one of the best compost ingredients you'll get all year, and they're free. Shred them with the mower, keep a bag beside the bin, and cover each caddy of kitchen scraps with a couple of

10/21/2026

LEAVE LEAVES LIE !

Should I leave fallen leaves on my lawn? Learn when leaves help your grass and soil, when they can smother turf, and what to do with them this fall.

10/19/2026

Add the leaves to your compost bin along with all your food scraps and yard waste and watch them work their magic.

Don't toss your fallen leaves this autumn. Let them rebuild your soil. Leaves are an amazing way to protect and regenerate soil (and nature has been doing it

10/18/2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4wS1qW3q9s

I asked AI to create a Country Western song that promotes food waste composting....AI came up with these lyrics along with a suggestion for 2 music instruments to accompany the lyrics....that is.....acoustic guitar strumming a slow, mournful rhythm, joined by a weeping fiddle....

Anyone out there want to try recording a song with these lyrics & share!?

(Verse 1)
I watched you scrape that skillet right into the trash
Two servings of potato salad, and the rest of the cornbread hash
You think it just erases when the garbage truck rolls by
But that old melon rind is trapped beneath a neon city sky
It’s suffocatin' in a plastic bag, without a breath of air
darlin', can’t you see the tragedy we’re making there?

(Chorus)
'Cause that’s food waste composting, or at least it ought to be
Turning yesterday’s forgotten scraps to rich fertility
Instead of making methane in a dark, forgotten hole
We could be black-gold healing this old Oklahoma soil
Yeah, the rot can make a resurrection if we give it half a chance
But we’re throwing out the music to our final slow country dance.

(Verse 2)
The coffee grounds from Tuesday, the wilted lettuce head
They didn't have to die in vain inside a landfill bed
If we piled 'em in the backyard, let the red worms do their part
We’d find a little grace inside a broken, rotting heart
But you treat them eggshells like they’re nothing but a chore
And you toss 'em out the back door as you head on out to the store.

(Chorus)
For some food waste composting, or at least it ought to be
Turning yesterday’s forgotten scraps to rich fertility
Instead of making methane in a dark, forgotten hole
We could be black-gold healing this old Oklahoma soil
Yeah, the rot can make a resurrection if we give it half a chance
But we’re throwing out the music to our final slow country dance.

(Bridge)
It takes some nitrogen, it takes some carbon, and a little bit of time
To turn a sour situation to a garden that's sublime
You gotta balance out your greens and browns to make the spirit rise
Instead of burying our sins right in front of our own eyes.

(Guitar Solo - twangy, emotional, building up hope)

(Verse 3)
I see you by the sink tonight, the apple cores in hand
You pause above the waste bin, and you start to understand
You look out at the garden plot where the dirt is dry and grey
And you walk out to the compost bin to start a brand new day.

(Outro)
Yeah, we're heating up the pile now.
Let it break on down.
Feed the earth, darlin'.
Turn that trash around.
(Fiddle fades out on a sweet, bright major chord)

Composting time lapse from inside a compost bin. Soil CamAmazing f...

10/12/2026

Food waste composting transforms kitchen scraps into a nutrient-rich soil amendment that feeds plants, boosts flower blooms, and improves soil structure.

Nutrient Boost for Flowers and Plants:

o Essential Minerals: Kitchen scraps like fruit peels, vegetable ends, and coffee grounds release vital nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium as they break down.
o Slow-Release Food: Unlike fast-acting synthetic fertilizers, compost feeds your flowers steadily over time so roots can absorb nutrients without burning.
o Specific Scraps: Banana peels supply extra potassium for strong flower petals, and crushed eggshells add calcium for cell walls.

Soil Structure and Health:

o Better Moisture Retention: Finished compost acts like a sponge, helping sandy or dry garden soil hold water longer so you water less often.
o Improved Drainage: It loosens heavy clay soils, allowing air and water to reach delicate flower roots easily.
o Helpful Microbes: It introduces beneficial bacteria, fungi, and earthworms that build a living soil food web and fight off plant diseases.

How to Use Compost in Your Garden:

o Top-Dressing: Spread a 1-to-2-inch layer of compost around the base of your flower beds as a natural mulch.
o Soil Mixing: Work compost into the top 6 to 8 inches of soil before planting new annuals or perennials.
o Compost Tea: Steep finished compost in a bucket of water to create a liquid fertilizer spray for your flowers.

STOP AT THE PLYMOUTH FARMER’S MARKET, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 3pm-6pm, AND VISIT THE PEAT BOOTH THAT IS PROMOTING FOOD WASTE COMPOSTING, AT PLYMOUTH STAYER PARK!