Make it easy for people to be environmentally conscious and they will do it. Growing up in South Kingstown, composting was a staple of my childhood, and many of my friends’. I have memories of complaining as I traipsed down the hill in my backyard through the snow or in the rain to empty the compost, often wondering what the point was. However, when I moved to a more urban area, I was met with a question of how I would continue without the access to a backyard. Current estimates predict the Johnston Central Landfill will be full within the next 15 years unless we reduce the waste that gets sent there. Most recent numbers from the Environmental Protection Agency (2018), suggest that more food entered landfills and combustion facilities than single-use materials in our everyday trash, making it an easy way to impact climate change with proper measures put into place. Therefore, there is a call for a reduction in food waste to prolong the landfill’s life.
In 2021, Providence released an update on composting in the city titled “Moving Towards Zero Waste.” There, authors outlined the multi-step plan for how composting will help to meet the city’s goal to become a carbon neutral city by 2050 and eliminate food waste by 2040. Not only would meeting this goal help to delay the Johnston Landfill from hitting capacity, but it will also help to decrease methane emissions, generate healthier soil, and improve water quality. Providence is starting with education, free organic drop-off sites, advocating for composting facilities, and ultimately banning organic materials from the municipal solid waste stream. While the State of Rhode Island, led by Providence, is making strides, the state currently puts the ownership on individuals and businesses to seek out third-party organizations and find drop-off points if they don’t have the ability to compost on their own. Some have opted in, but many more are under informed or don’t have easy access.
As I experienced first-hand, these third-party organizations are important to fill gaps in access while infrastructure catches up, and often provide a place for people to gather as a community. I enjoyed going to the drop-off points and meeting the people who ran them, hearing their stories and why composting was important to them. However, I was often met with challenges – the accessibility of travel to dropoff points, and drop-off times that conflicted with work, which meant that I relied on taking time out of work to drive myself. For the first time in my life, I found myself questioning if composting was worth it. The ease was no longer there, and I questioned the cost-benefit of driving long distances to drop off one 5-gallon bucket of compost. Long term, third-party organizations cannot be the sole solution – they don’t provide easy access for everyone, including schools and businesses, at a cost-effective price point without long-term subsidies. When I moved to a city that had municipal composting, I could suddenly bring out my compost when I brought out my recycling and trash. In addition, the café I worked in composted because they could do the same – it was easy – and the biggest hurdle was educating the staff. I lost the community feel and the soil give-back program, but gained convenience, which was much more important to me as someone whose garden consisted of 3 pots on my balcony.
Municipal access to composting, not only increases the number of people participating, but usually increases the materials which can be composted, because the compost is sent to an industrial compost center. Composting works best when there is a 30:1 ratio of “greens” to “browns” waste. “Greens” include fruit and vegetable scraps, plant clippings, coffee grounds, tea bags, and plant trimmings, which are high in nitrogen. “Browns” include paper, cardboard, dry leaves, and sawdust, which are high in carbon. Moldy foods are okay, but dead plants, fish, meat, dairy, baked goods, fatty foods, grease, and compostable faux plastic should stay out of your compost in Rhode Island – whether it’s in your backyard or going to a third-party organization. However, when large-scale industrial composting enters the game, fish, meat, dairy, and compostable faux plastic can be collected as well. By allowing more waste types, it makes composting easier to understand, more worthwhile for restaurants, and keeps even more organic waste out of the landfill – improving the outcomes of composting.
Now that I’m back in Rhode Island, I’ve had to restart my compost journey, and have chosen to make my childhood home my local drop-off point. It’s not always convenient and there have been many times where I’ve had more compost in my freezer than edible food. The only payment is taking our family dog out for a walk, which I can get behind. As you start your composting journey, there are lots of resources out there. ProvidenceRI.gov has resources on how to start composting at home, either in your backyard, or inside using worm composting (vermicompost). Litterless.com offers a list of thirdparty compost organizations broken down by town. And don’t forget to contact your town representatives supporting larger compost facilities and municipal compost options! •
Emily Boardman has her master’s in Sustainable Aquaculture. She is currently working in ecotourism and outdoor recreation where she encourages people to connect with their local environment. She is also a print artist – find her work on insta @quahog.creative.
Photo: Emily Boardman in San Diego.
