Lansing, MI—  Want to turn your garbage into gold? For the people who attended the Michigan Composting Council’s (MCC) conference on March 31, 2010, that statement doesn’t bring up images of garage sales but of compost.  Known as gardener’s gold, compost can help produce healthier flowers, plants, and vegetables. 

Composting involves mixing yard and household organic waste together while providing conditions that encourage decomposition. Composting can be done on a small scale in your backyard or on a larger scale at municipal or private compost sites where large equipment is used to move and turn biodegrading materials.  The attendees of the MCC conference on March 31^st participated in educational sessions on testing, marketing, and planning for community composting.

RRS Principle and widely known compost authority, Nicole Chardoul hosted a session entitled “Focus on Food Waste”.  Since Americans throw away more than 25% of food we prepare and it makes up approximately 13% (3^rd largest component) of our municipal solid waste, composting food waste is becoming an essential strategy for communities achieving green, sustainable and waste reduction goals.  Additionally, the decomposition of these materials in an anaerobic landfill produces a large amount of methane helping to contribute to the 34% of methane emissions produced by our landfills.  Nicole discussed the “in’s and out’s” of food waste composting to make it a cornerstone of your community’s waste reduction strategy and plan.

Chardoul says “Composting food waste can be a part of everyone’ s life.  It is important to educate all waste management professionals on the benefits of organics collection and how this can benefit their community.  I’m happy to be involved in the MCC’s annual conference.”

Along with Chardoul, other composting professionals participated in this annual conference sharing their compost knowledge and experiences.  Ron Alexander of R. Alexander Associates, an internationally accomplished compost researcher and advocate, was the key note speaker discussing the value of the US Compost Council’s compost testing program and the right way to market your finished product.

Tags: composting, Michigan Recycling Coalition, Nicole Chardoul

Categories: Conferences, Midwest Tags: composting, Michigan Recycling Coalition, Nicole Chardoul