Opinion: It’s Not Too Late to Slow Climate Change if We Recycle Organic Waste
It’s easy to be discouraged by dire government reports showing how little time we have to reverse the effects of climate change. But in San Diego County, every single person can make a difference by reducing and recycling organic waste: food scraps and yard trimmings.
When organic materials break down in the landfill, they create methane, a greenhouse gas 80 times more damaging than carbon dioxide. By reducing how much food we waste, donating edible food, and properly recycling the rest, we can make a major difference in mitigating climate change. Organic material can be recycled through composting or anaerobic digestion into a nutrient-rich soil amendment or into renewable natural gas which both prevent emissions and are environmentally beneficial.