Please remember to celebrate International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) May 6 to 12. Below we’ve listed many goals and benefits of composting week and composting in general from the USCC (US Composting Council) website. Our ORCA Green Machine is a kind of super composter, and in the cases that the nutrient-rich gray water is returned to the soil for nourisment, it helps create a closed loop. The Scarborough Town Centre does this, in fact, by using their ORCA effluent for plants inside their mall as well as watering their exterior landscaping.
Totally Green facilitates sustainability and environmental stewardship for corporations, businesses, and consumers. We provide two innovative products: the ORCA Green Machine converts food waste to water in 24hrs while reducing landfills and methane gas; and Green Bottle Spring Water offers fresh spring water near your location and in earth-friendly, compostable bottles.
Facts About Compost
Key Messages and Information
International Composting Awareness Week unites the composting industry under a common banner. It is a unique opportunity allowing individual organizations involved in composting to benefit from a wider campaign and to form partnerships with organizations within your community. Here are some facts about the benefits of composting, the U.S. composting industry and International Compost Awareness Week for you to incorporate into your activities.
The basic goals of Compost Awareness Week:
1. To increase the diversion of organics from the main waste stream through increasing
awareness of and participation in organics diversion initiatives (centralized composting, curbside, home composting, community composting)
2.To increase awareness of, and advocate the proper use of, ‘soil-improving composts’
Benefits of composting and using soil enriching composts:
• Soil enriching composts improve the structure of sandy soils allowing them to retain
moisture and nutrients longer.
• Compost helps maintain healthy plant growth.
• Soil-enriching composts provide the nutrients necessary for healthy plant growth and
intense colors throughout the growing season.
• Save time money, and help save the environment by enriching and amending your
soil with Compost.
• Compost helps improve the structure of clay and sandy soils.
• The organic matter in soil enriching composts helps break up heavy and clay soils
making them lighter, freer draining and easier to work.
• Compost will cut down your watering requirements.
• Using sustainable soil-enriching composts helps prevent erosion of valuable topsoil
without depleting valuable wildlife habitats.
• Composts encourage nature to work for you. Earthworms and many other beneficial
creatures flourish in enriched soils. Their activities help release essential nutrients,
which strengthen plants and increase their resistance to disease.
• Composts help to quickly establish new shrubs, plants and turf. The improved
structure of enriched soils provides excellent growing conditions and aids root-zone
establishment.
• The U.S. Composting Council operates a Seal of Testing Assurance (STA) program
that enables participating composters to label their compost as STA approved, giving
the consumer an informed choice of high quality products. (Refer to the STA section
of the USCC web site for more facts and benefits.)
• Composting reduces the quantity of waste going to landfill. Composting can reduce
the amount of materials discarded to landfills by up to 50%. If landfilled untreated,
these organic materials will breakdown to release methane, a potent greenhouse
gas, and leachate.
• A blanket of compost used to re-seed land grows vegetation more quickly and more
cheaply than more mainstream methods.
http://compostingcouncil.org/aboutus/
