By Sara Mack, Marketing Manager
Even though composting has been around for a long time, we’ve still got a long way to go on our quest to make it mainstream. By our estimates, less than 5 percent of homes and businesses in the DMV separate out their food scraps. If you’re new to composting, or even considering getting into it, you’ve probably heard some of these assumptions people make about composting. Just like with most things, you can’t always take everything you hear at face value. In this blog we’ll address some of these stereotypes head on.
1. It takes too much time and effort
At Compost Crew, we pride ourselves in doing the “behind the scenes” components of composting to make the process as accessible as possible to the masses. While traditional backyard composting can require a significant amount of time and effort, you can get started by finding compost drop off locations or participating in a curbside pick up service. These options don’t require any more effort than separating organic scraps from the rest of your waste stream.
2. Composting is for “hippies”
If caring about our communities and our Earth is hippie business, we’re okay with that. In all seriousness, though, we believe composting is for everyone! There’s no one type of person that composts, just like there is no specific type of person that uses a recycling bin. When we work together and use composting and other zero waste strategies as unifying strategies we can all use to protect the environment rather than something that makes you different or weird, we’re all better for it.
3. It’s stinky
If you’re concerned about the smell and pests that many people associate with composting, you can reference our existing blogs for some tips and tricks to keep your compost bin clean and fresh all year round. This being said, remember that nine times out of ten kitchen trash cans don’t exactly smell like daisies, either. Everyone is throwing away organic waste, and by separating it from the rest of your garbage and sealing it in an airtight compost bin you actually have the chance to reduce your risk of attracting pests and generating bad smells.
4. You can only compost fruits and veggies
Industrial composting facilities, like we work with at Compost Crew, have the ability to compost all types of organic waste. Many items that can’t go in your backyard pile can be taken to these facilities At Compost Crew we accept meat and dairy scraps alongside pet hair and greasy cardboard. Our favorite slogan is, “if it grows, it goes”, so while many fruits and veggies will break down faster than a rack of ribs will, a much greater variety of organic waste can be composted than people originally think.
5. You need a big backyard
The space required for composting depends on the type of composting strategy you’re planning to use. DIY composting can range in size from a plastic storage bin to a large backyard pile, while drop off and curbside pickup options require only as much space is needed to store your scraps until it’s collection time.
We’ve been in the composting business for over 10 years at this point, and we’re not going anywhere any time soon. Even though many misconceptions surround the practice of composting, we can confidently say that the benefits to our communities, our soils, and our environments make it very worth it.
