Backyard composting food scraps is still the ultimate sustainable alternative most of us can do in reducing greenhouse gas and revitalizing soil health. Compost not only reduces greenhouse gas emissions, avoiding methane generation, but it also provides significant environmental benefits like sequestering carbon.

The use of compost decreases fertilizer and pesticide use, improves soil structure, increases soil productivity, reduces irrigation needs, and limits erosion.

Compost can aid reforestation, wetlands restoration, and habitat revitalization efforts by improving contaminated, compacted, and marginal soils. In 2021, EPA reported MSW landfills contributed 4.3 percent of total U.S. anthropogenic methane emissions across all sectors.