STATE NEWS — The United States generates over 258 million tons of solid waste annually. This includes all household packaging, clothing, bottles, food scraps, newspapers, batteries, and everything else we casually toss into our garbage cans. And now those over 2,000 landfills – including 31 right here in Tennessee – are rapidly reaching capacity. One of the ways we can all contribute less to area landfills is composting.
The Tennessee Environmental Council (TEC) recently launched a program to encourage composting on a county-by-county basis. Come, Post Your Compost encourages locals to turn your kitchen scrap into healthy soil. It’s what most gardeners call black gold because it’s so nutrient rich.
It’s the right thing to do for neighboring counties like Lewisburg, where the Cedar Ridge Landfill exists. Landfills aren’t good for Tennessee communities. They often contaminate drinking water and are the third largest source of human-related methane.
Composting restores Tennessee’s topsoil, reduces your trash footprint, and will extend the life of the state’s landfills. You can also win prizes from program sponsors like Kroger.
Participating is easy. Simply go to the TEC website and choose Moore County. Then submit your weekly or monthly totals in either pounds or gallons. Organizers say the easiest way is to eyeball your food waste in units similar to a gallon jug. As of November 15, Moore County had “posted” just 15 pounds of compost compared to 420,137 state wide.
The website offers valuable tools including how-to videos and a downloadable composting guide. If you join in on the fun, don’t forget take pics and post on your social media channels with the hashtag #ComePostYourCompost. To learn more, visit the Come, Post Your Compost website by clicking here. •
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