With the constant climate change and other reasons to protect the environment, more and more people want to support sustainability and make our planet a better place to live. However, when it comes to composting, recycling, and reducing waste in general, there’s quite a bit of confusion about how to do it properly.
To help you boost your environment-saving efforts, we asked a few sustainability experts and enthusiasts to elaborate on the differences between recycling and composting, as well as highlight the better ways to do it.
What Is Composting?
“Composting is the natural process of breaking down organic materials into fertile soil, such as plant matter, food scraps, or other compostable materials. Composting happens naturally, but you can create a compost pile to speed up the process. A compost pile begins with layers of organic material, such as leaves, grass clippings, tree trimmings, food scraps, and manure. As they break down over time, the pile warms up and provides an environment for bacteria to multiply. The bacteria feed on the organic materials and break them down into a nutrient-rich soil that you can use in your gardens.”
Chelsea Bagley, Founder of Nesting Naturally
What Can Go Into a Compost Bin?
“The general rule of thumb is that you can compost anything that’s been alive. For example, the paper has come from trees that were once living. Therefore you can put it on your compost heap. You have two categories made up of green materials and brown materials. Examples for green would be grass clipping, fruit, vegetables, fresh flowers, eggshells. Examples of brown would be dry leaves, wood shavings, soiled napkins, and pine needles.
There are some exceptions to the ‘has it been alive’ rule. For example, meat and fish are prone to attracting pests and rodents, so it’s best to avoid adding them to your compost bin. Basically, they’re more hassle than they’re worth.”
Amber Lombardi, Yuzu Magazine
Can I Recycle Compostable Bags?
“No. Compostable bags are not designed for recycling, and if mixed with non-compostable materials, they can contaminate and disturb the recycling process. Instead, compostable plastics should be sent to the proper composting facility, where the correct combination of heat, bacteria, and time will break them down.”
Carol Gardner, Content Editor at Defending Digital
What Is Recycling?
“Recycling is a process in which used items are being destroyed and used again for different purposes. For instance, people may recycle plastic, paper, cardboard, fabric but also technology. Depending on the type, waste gets broken so that it can be used for something else.
There are different strategies for recycling. Starting from the simplest one, dividing your trash and throwing it in designated bins to actually recycling some of the items on your own. However, this can sometimes be a lot of work which is why the best choice is to bring waste to a landfill or simply throwing it in the recycling bin.”
Eva Petruzziello, Editor-in-Chief at Simple n’ Delight
How to Properly Recycle Waste?
Tip #1: Identify if the Waste Is Organic or Not First
“To properly recycle waste, you have to identify if they are organic or not first. Organic wastes are biodegradable. They are usually used as compost or fertilizers for plant growth. Inorganic ones like plastic bottles, car tires, and such.”
Craig Miller, Co-Founder of Academia Labs LLC
Tip #2: Always Check Recycling Protocols in Your Area
“Recycling and industrial composting vary greatly from location to location in terms of what they will and won’t accept. The best way to properly recycle your waste is to make sure you know what your hauler or local drop-off site will accept.
For items they don’t accept, a little research is all it takes to find out how to properly recycle an item. For example, let’s take a look at shoes. Shoes are rarely accepted in curbside or industrial recycling facilities, so many people trash them. However, if you do a quick Google search, you’ll find there are some resources for accepting shoes. Taking a moment to research if an item can be recycled can help keep a lot of stuff out of the landfill.”
Laura Durenberger, Founder & Creator Behind Reduce, Reuse, Renew
Tip #3: Compress Bottles and Put the Lid Back On
“The best way to recycle waste is to compress bottles and put the lid back on. The previously recommended method was removing them. This is because bottle tops are normally made of polypropylene. This polymer tends to melt at a higher temperature compared to the rest of most plastic bottles.
Another reason was that uncompressed bottles with lids on them were dangerous in the early stages of recycling. The compression of an air-packed bottle often resulted in bottle caps being propelled at high speed, which was seen as a clear health risk.
The recycling process has improved since then, and it is now okay to keep lids on bottles. In fact, it is now advisable to leave them on because bottle caps handed in separately could be placed into general waste if missed during screening.
One of the most helpful ways to recycle bottles is to squash the air out and place the lid back on. This way, there is neither water nor air inside.”
Olivia Tan, Co-Founder of CocoFax
Tip #4: Keep Compost in a Designated Pail
“I find that the best way to compost is to keep a large enough pail under the sink lined with newspaper and a paper bag. I put all of my food scraps in this bin and empty it every few days into my backyard composter newspaper and all! It doesn’t smell because I avoid dairy and meat/fish products.”
Eva Petruzziello, Editor-in-Chief at Simple n’ Delight
Why Composting and Recycling Are So Important?
“Composting is extremely important because over 40% of all food is waste in the US. When food goes to a landfill, a common misconception is that it simply breaks down. Unfortunately, that isn’t entirely true. Organic matter in a landfill lacks the necessary nutrients (mainly oxygen) to compost properly. Instead, it SLOWLY breaks down, releasing the greenhouse gas methane, which is three times more potent than CO2. By composting, you are not only reducing the amount of food that enters a landfill, but you are also creating an item that gives necessary nutrients back to the soils that grow the food we eat.
Recycling is important because we use a LOT of the earth’s resources to create new items, and it’s not sustainable. But not all recycling is created equally. For example, metal and glass are items that can usually be infinitely recycled. However, plastic can’t. Plastic can be recycled approximately 5-6 times before it loses properties and has to be thrown away.
And while recycling and composting are important, it’s even more important that we learn to reduce the number of items we are consuming and wasting. Recycling and composting still takes energy and resources, it can be expensive, and it’s not accessible for everyone. It’s not a fix-all approach.”
Laura Durenberger, Founder & Creator Behind Reduce, Reuse, Renew
Is Recycling and Composting Worth My Time?
Although our lives are busy and it can be hard to recycle and compost waste 100% properly, it’s absolutely worth trying to do it — even small efforts matter for our planet and environment. As long as you make sure to check what types of waste your local recycling centers accept and ensure you don’t “flood” your recycle bin with things that might prevent the correct recycling process, you’re already one step closer to protecting our nature, including precious oceans and forests.
At EZ-Screen, we care a lot about all things connected to the soil, recycling, and making our planet a safer place to live for current and future generations. Here are a few other topics we covered that you might be curious to check out:
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