We've all seen the statistics: about a third of the food produced each year goes uneaten. While food waste is a major issue, the way we handle it is just as problematic. We often think that throwing away food or plant materials means they will decompose in a few years, but landfills are much more complex. Though food is organic and biodegradable, the landfill environment hinders efficient decomposition.

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Landfills contain a mix of garbage, including metals, medications, and plastics, which combine with rainfall to create harmful leachates and gases. To prevent this mixture, landfills are lined and capped with thick layers of clay and plastic. While food and plant-based materials do eventually break down, it happens at a significant cost to the environment.

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In the sealed environment of a landfill, food is trapped without access to oxygen, creating an "anaerobic environment." Without oxygen, the microorganisms and insects needed for proper decomposition can't survive, leading to the production of methane—a greenhouse gas over 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide. If not fully contained by landfill systems, these gases escape into the atmosphere, contributing significantly to climate change.

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Landfills are not only inefficient at breaking down food waste, but there are other associated costs. Transporting waste to other countries when local landfills are full incurs expenses, and landfills can contaminate soil and groundwater, and pollute surrounding areas. Throwing food scraps in the trash has been a quick fix for decades, but there's a simpler, more effective alternative that can positively impact our environment. COMPOST!