Landfills, the final destination for garbage, are filling up and organic waste (restaurant food waste, grocery store food waste) takes up a lot of valuable space in them.  Organic waste takes up about 1/3 of the space in landfills.  So, diverting organic waste from landfills opens up badly needed space in landfills for waste that does not decompose.

Organic waste that sits in landfills (where most organic waste ends up) also contributes to global warming because it produces methane.  Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas and is 20 times more harmful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. When organic waste is able to decompose in an environment with air, it can decompose properly.  However, most organic waste at landfills sits under massive amount of other kinds of waste, so the organic waste decomposes without air (anaerobically) and as a result, methane is produced and released into the environment, contributing to global warming.

Another problem with organic waste in landfills is that as it breaks down, leacheate (harmful liquid) seeps into the soil and into the groundwater.

Why It’s Important to Recycle Organic Waste

• Free up valuable space in landfills.
• Save money by recycling instead of trucking it to landfills.
• Prevent the release of harmful methane gas, a powerful greenhouse gas, into the environment.
• Prevent the release of harmul liquids (leacheate) into the soil at landfills
• Protect the environment.