So over the last month or so this question has been brought up and discussed a few times so I wanted to research it myself. Which is the best for your food waste? Why?
First we will start with garbage. This is by far the worst option but for multiple reasons. First, all our garbage must be trucked to a landfill and every pound of garbage adds to the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced. Also something that most people don’t know is that food doesn’t actually decompose well in a landfill. This is because of the mass amounts of garbage there which doesn’t allow the food access to oxygen, which it needs to decompose. This is a very bad thing.
An in sink garborator is your next best option, albeit there is a lot of controversy around it. There was a study done to prove this finding (the source is a bit suspect as the study was partly paid by Insinkerator).
Their findings confirm that with our modern sewage and waste water disposal capabilities the solids are still being taken to the landfill (not a good thing) but the rest is being put through treatment reducing the amount of waste and green house gas emissions both in the landfill and in the transport of the waste itself.
Lastly is the best method – composting. This invovles no trucking and no oxygen problems that exist in a landfill . It also gives you the added benefit of producing some of the best soil money can buy for your garden (if you have one).
I guess the other option would be for our municipalities to get on the “green bin” concept… I mean seriously… Ontario is beating us on this one and that is embarrassing!
For more information on the study… click here
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