Report: Composting is key to new business and green jobs

Date: 8 May 2013 | posted in: Composting, Media Coverage | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Waste & Recycling News, May 8, 2013

Composting is a major job creator, according to a new report released from the non-profit Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

Based on a survey of Maryland composters, the report found that 1,400 new full-time jobs could be supported for every million tons of yard trimmings and food scraps converted into compost that is used locally.

The report also found that composting sustains twice as many jobs as landfilling and four times as many jobs as incineration.

“When sent to a landfill or trash incinerator, banana peels, broccoli stalks, and other leftover food scraps are a liability,” said Brenda Platt, lead author of the report, Pay Dirt: Composting in Maryland to Reduce Waste, Create Jobs & Protect the Bay. “But when composted, they are a valuable asset.”

Along with the Pay Dirt report, ILSR released a companion paper today that details how compost use can reduce watershed contamination from urban pollutants by 60-95%.

The market for compost and jobs within the industry are growing thanks to the continued expansion of sustainable practices and infrastructure, according to the report.

“For every 10,000 tons per year of compost used for green infrastructure, we found that another 18 jobs could be supported,” Platt said in a statement. “Support for composting equals support for a made-in-America industrial sector.”

Read the full story here.

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