What Is Composting? And How to Start
2020-11-24
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1From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.
2Improvements to the world around us can sometimes result from actions taken by individuals. For example, take composting.
3Compost is organic material that, when added to soil, can help plants grow.
4And there are many different kinds of organic material.
5Food waste, grass cuttings and other plant remains make up more than 28 percent of what Americans throw away.
6That information comes from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
7The EPA website tells how composting helps the environment.
8It says:
9Composting helps to keep soil healthy.
10It reduces the need for chemical fertilizers.
11Composting can help the production of good bacteria and fungi, which break down organic matter.
12Composting also reduces methane gas emissions from landfills.
13Studies have linked methane to rising temperatures in Earth��s atmosphere.
14Yet many Americans do not compost their food and plant waste.
15In 2014, a survey of 2,000 Americans found that 72 percent of those questioned did not compost.
16However, 67 percent said they would do so if it were easier.
17The National Waste & Recycling Association paid for that study.
18There are only a few U.S. communities that have passed laws restricting some organic material from garbage collection.
19Two examples are New York City and San Francisco, California.
20And five months ago, the state of Vermont banned the collection of food waste.
21While the numbers of Americans composting remains low, some people are trying to increase the number of composters.
22They often talk about landfills releasing methane into the atmosphere.
23"Garbage piles contribute to global warming. And so there's a lot of methane that's released. And from everything that scientists know that that's contributing to the warming of the planet which is not a good thing."
24That is Katie Ablard of Maryland. She has been composting for 15 years and enjoys teaching others.
25"Instead of putting our food waste into the garbage, we're putting our food waste into the compost pile. And in the compost pile in our backyard, within a couple of months that breaks down and it breaks down and turns into really, really fertile soil."
26Some countries are much better at making compost than the United States.
27In a 2019 report, the World Economic Forum found that South Korea recycled 95 percent of its food waste.
28But this did not happen overnight.
29 In 1995, South Koreans only recycled two percent of their food waste.
30Back in 2013, the Yale School of the Environment published a paper on composting around the world.
31At that time, researchers found that Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Belgium, Austria, and Germany sent less than three percent of their food waste to landfills.
32If you want to make compost, there are some things to know.
33The EPA website says all composting requires three basic ingredients:
34Brown material -- such as dead leaves and tress branches
35Green material -- such as grass cuttings and vegetable waste
36Water
37When composting outdoors the EPA offers these suggestions.
38Choose a dry area for your compost pile.
39The area should receive very little sunshine.
40Make sure there is no standing water on the ground.
41Next, add green and brown materials, in equal amounts, as they are collected.
42Try to break down larger pieces.
43And add water if the brown materials are too dry.
44If your area gets a lot of rain, cover up the compost pile.
45And make sure you can easily get to the area, but animals cannot.
46When the waste material at the bottom is dark and rich in color, your compost is ready to use.
47Here is another piece of advice.
48Mix or stir the compost often.
49This adds air to keep it light, or as Katie says, fluffy.
50What you do not want, she warns, is for the material to get hard or compacted.
51"I think of it as stirring and turning the compost. And getting it so it's kind of fluffy so that the soil is kind of light and airy and not compacted. You don't want it hard and compacted. (So, you need air flow?) You do need air flow, yeah."
52The EPA website says that if you do not have space for a compost pile outside your home, you can compost materials indoors.
53But you may need a special container for that.
54The site says to be careful of what you throw in.
55A properly managed compost bin will not attract animals and will not smell bad.
56And your indoor compost should be ready in two to five weeks.
57Katie Ablard says composting is great for the environment.
58But she says it gives her a smaller, but still very important prize.
59"Twice a year I'm able to pull out the soil that the worms and the other bugs and insects have created by breaking down the food waste. And that soil or compost then I use in our garden. And so, the soil in our community garden is very rich and very healthy and has consistently been good soil for growing vegetables. So, it's instead of using chemical fertilizers and it's instead of using other products that might help things grow, but we can just use the compost!"
60And that's the Health & Lifestyle report. I'm Anna Matteo.
1From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report. 2Improvements to the world around us can sometimes result from actions taken by individuals. For example, take composting. 3Compost is organic material that, when added to soil, can help plants grow. And there are many different kinds of organic material. Food waste, grass cuttings and other plant remains make up more than 28 percent of what Americans throw away. That information comes from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 4The EPA website tells how composting helps the environment. It says: 5Composting helps to keep soil healthy. 6It reduces the need for chemical fertilizers. 7Composting can help the production of good bacteria and fungi, which break down organic matter. 8Composting also reduces methane gas emissions from landfills. Studies have linked methane to rising temperatures in Earths atmosphere. 9Yet many Americans do not compost their food and plant waste. 10In 2014, a survey of 2,000 Americans found that 72 percent of those questioned did not compost. However, 67 percent said they would do so if it were easier. The National Waste & Recycling Association paid for that study. 11There are only a few U.S. communities that have passed laws restricting some organic material from garbage collection. Two examples are New York City and San Francisco, California. And five months ago, the state of Vermont banned the collection of food waste. 12While the numbers of Americans composting remains low, some people are trying to increase the number of composters. They often talk about landfills releasing methane into the atmosphere. 13"Garbage piles contribute to global warming. And so there's a lot of methane that's released. And from everything that scientists know that that's contributing to the warming of the planet which is not a good thing." 14That is Katie Ablard of Maryland. She has been composting for 15 years and enjoys teaching others. 15"Instead of putting our food waste into the garbage, we're putting our food waste into the compost pile. And in the compost pile in our backyard, within a couple of months that breaks down and it breaks down and turns into really, really fertile soil." 16Some countries are much better at making compost than the United States. 17In a 2019 report, the World Economic Forum found that South Korea recycled 95 percent of its food waste. But this did not happen overnight. In 1995, South Koreans only recycled two percent of their food waste. 18Back in 2013, the Yale School of the Environment published a paper on composting around the world. At that time, researchers found that Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Belgium, Austria, and Germany sent less than three percent of their food waste to landfills. 19How to start outdoor composting 20If you want to make compost, there are some things to know. The EPA website says all composting requires three basic ingredients: 21Brown material -- such as dead leaves and tress branches 22Green material -- such as grass cuttings and vegetable waste 23Water 24When composting outdoors the EPA offers these suggestions. 25Choose a dry area for your compost pile. The area should receive very little sunshine. Make sure there is no standing water on the ground. 26Next, add green and brown materials, in equal amounts, as they are collected. Try to break down larger pieces. And add water if the brown materials are too dry. 27If your area gets a lot of rain, cover up the compost pile. And make sure you can easily get to the area, but animals cannot. When the waste material at the bottom is dark and rich in color, your compost is ready to use. 28Here is another piece of advice. Mix or stir the compost often. This adds air to keep it light, or as Katie says, fluffy. What you do not want, she warns, is for the material to get hard or compacted. 29"I think of it as stirring and turning the compost. And getting it so it's kind of fluffy so that the soil is kind of light and airy and not compacted. You don't want it hard and compacted. (So, you need air flow?) You do need air flow, yeah." 30Indoor composting 31The EPA website says that if you do not have space for a compost pile outside your home, you can compost materials indoors. But you may need a special container for that. 32The site says to be careful of what you throw in. A properly managed compost bin will not attract animals and will not smell bad. And your indoor compost should be ready in two to five weeks. 33Katie Ablard says composting is great for the environment. But she says it gives her a smaller, but still very important prize. 34"Twice a year I'm able to pull out the soil that the worms and the other bugs and insects have created by breaking down the food waste. And that soil or compost then I use in our garden. And so, the soil in our community garden is very rich and very healthy and has consistently been good soil for growing vegetables. So, it's instead of using chemical fertilizers and it's instead of using other products that might help things grow, but we can just use the compost!" 35And that's the Health & Lifestyle report. I'm Anna Matteo. 36Do you compost? Tell us about composting where you live in the Comments Section. 37Anna Matteo reported this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 38________________________________________________________________ 39Words in This Story 40fungi - n. any member of the kingdom of living things (as mushrooms, molds, and rusts) that have no chlorophyll, must live in or on plants, animals, or decaying material, and were formerly considered plants 41emission - n. the act of producing or sending out something (such as energy or gas) from a source 42garbage - n. food waste : discarded or useless material 43pile - n. a quantity of things heaped together 44backyard - n. an area at the rear of a house 45recycle - v. to make something new from (something that has been used before) 46ingredient - n. one of the things that are used to make a food, product, etc. 47garden - n. an area of ground where plants (such as flowers or vegetables) are grown