The Magic We Call Compost

I'm going to let you in on a little secret. There's something out there that can save our planet, and our species - something underrated and overlooked. That secret ingredient is dirt. And not just any dirt - rich, juicy, compost-filled soil.

Earlier this month, from May 4 – 9, was Compost Week. Didn't get much attention, did it? And I understand, it’s not a very glamorous topic. But bear with me, because it's a lot more exciting than it sounds. In fact, it's life-changing.

For as long as I can remember, we’ve had a compost bin in my backyard – so we can use that beautiful, black organic matter to nourish our vegetable and herb garden. And also because it means food scraps and peels don’t go in the general waste, which reduces landfill.

So on a small scale, compost means my family can grow our own healthy, organic produce.

But what is its role on a larger scale?

We call it regenerative agriculture. It’s the type of farming that values nutritionally-dense and chemical-free produce – and how does it achieve it? Surprise, surprise: compost. Growing nutritious crops all depends on the health of the soil. The soil is the priority, and this means using quality organic fertiliser with minimal chemicals.

Unfortunately, this is not the reality of the majority of our agriculture. Large corporate farms completely ignore their soil health and pump chemical fertilisers into crops – they attempt to ‘manipulate’ nature into producing as much as possible.

As a result, we are experiencing two key problems. Number one, a disintegrating ecosystem: desertified soil (dried up and unusable), carbon emissions, global warming. And number two, poor quality food and an obesity epidemic. Whilst the size of vegetables, grains and protein sources has swelled, their nutritional density has decreased, meaning more calories and less nutrients. Obese people now outnumber those in chronic hunger. These are big issues.

But rest assured, we can kill both birds with one stone - and that stone is soil health.

The good news is that organic farming is on the rise, and it’s all about rich, healthy soil. These kinds of farms are based on the concept of permaculture: working with nature, instead of against it. And what we see is a much lower carbon footprint, and much more nutritious food.

Now, before you hit me with, “but we’ve got to feed 7 billion people, so quantity over quality!” I’ll give you this bit of information.

Organic farming actually produces the same or even more produce quantity as conventional, industrialised farming. I know you’ll want proof, so check out the 40 year-long Rodale Farming Systems Trial – the results will blow your mind.

So it seems both quality and quantity are achievable - nature was designed to nourish us and meet all our needs. We just need to let it.

The results of organic farming seems unbelievable, because we live in an age where large-scale technology and scientific manipulation are thought to wield better outcomes.

Growing plants is not a new invention – it’s older than the human species, and the earth has seemed to handle it pretty well for the last 500 million years. Then we came in with our rakes and our tractors and our genetically-modified seeds, thinking we could conquer an ancient natural system. A bit embarrassing, isn’t it.

Farming within the confines of nature will always flourish more than farming based on industrialisation, exports and commodities. So we need to work with the earth. We need to let go of the conception that technology is the only solution. And we need to let go of the drive to try to “beat” or conquer nature. Let it do its thing.

So now that we know what’s at stake, let’s reconsider the answer to our environmental and health problems: compost.

What does compost actually do?

This organic matter helps to bind soil together, which prevents erosion and run-off (huge issues in the agricultural game). It also means the soil retains more water, so plants can still grow during drought - good news in Australia, right? The helpful little bacteria and fungi fight pests and diseases, which is definitely better than chemical pesticides. And of course, compost will give plants more minerals and nutrients than your conventional farm. This means the food we eat is healthier and more nourishing.

Basically, it’s the way nature intended. Using life to create life.

And what about for the environment? Well, you can bet that organic, healthy soil won’t damage the land and it definitely won’t cause desertification, like industrial agriculture does. It has much lower rates of emissions, energy use and pollution.

But the even more exciting thing – composted soil can reverse climate change. You heard me. It can be the solution to our carbon emissions problem. And here’s how.

It’s called “drawdown” – or in more scientific terms, biosequestration. Basically, healthy soil draws carbon out of the atmosphere and stores it in order to make plants grow. For many years, we've seen carbon in the atmosphere as the enemy. But actually, it's the building block of life. It's been doing this for millions of years, but as soil across the globe has become depleted and dry, it has lost its ability suck in carbon.

So drawdown is pretty exciting. Not only does it reduce the amount of CO2 in our air and oceans, reversing the greenhouse gas effect, but it also increases the fertility of the soil. That equals even more drawdown. And of course, healthy soil equals healthy, abundant crops. It’s a big, positive cycle.

And that’s where compost comes in – the more organic matter in the soil, the more it can sequester or suck up carbon. But the problem is, our compost doesn't end up in our soil and on our farms; it ends up in landfill.

So how can humans help nature?

Believe it or not, we humans can actually be a beneficial presence on this earth. Not just be sustainable, or do less harm, but be beneficial. We can have a positive impact by helping these natural biological processes - we can stimulate the soil and speed up drawdown. And all we need is compost!

Humans are consumers; that's what we do. We aren't very good at reciprocating and giving back to nature. But it's not really that much of an ask - all nature wants back is our food scraps! It wants to decompose waste and nourish its soil so that it can grow more life.

So the more land we can turn into happy, healthy soil, the more we can reverse our carbon emissions. It’s going to take more than one or two organic farms to offset the amount of pollution we currently produce. We need to all be part of the solution.

So what's the first step?

In our urban society, we need a way to transport our food scraps to our farms and reap the benefits of organic matter. And the city of San Francisco has discovered just how to do that.

They were first in the US to create a compulsory compost program, alongside the recycling warriors at Recology. And it's a huge success. How did they do it? Recycling and composting became mandatory for all businesses and residences. Businesses are also given discounts for the amount of compost waste they have, but have to pay penalties for trash. Garbage trucks then deliver compost to organic farms across the Central Valley.

It’s really not rocket science, but it’s got benefits of astronomical proportions.

Reduced landfill? Check. Carbon emissions lowered? Check. Tonnes of compost? Check. Healthy soil? You bet.

Nature is pretty happy with the people of San Fran for giving back their food waste. And many other US states have followed suit.

And Australia? Well, we’ve got our green bins for garden waste, but there’s really no equivalent to San Fran. Most households put their food scraps into the general waste, and very few use compost bins to fertilise their own gardens.

There are some councils in NSW who now collect food scraps in the green bins in addition to garden organics, but most of them are in regional areas. And the city of Sydney - where most of the waste is produced, and where very few people have compost bins and gardens - is definitely still lacking.

Remember, it’s not just about reducing landfill and its emissions – it’s about harnessing the power of compost, something we produce in the gallons, to improve our soil. The real value comes from transporting it to farms and reaping the benefits in our food. Which Australia doesn't - our composting game is sub-par to say the least.

And of course, it's not the only piece of the puzzle - we also need initiatives to reduce carbon emissions in the first place, like through renewable energy. But it is pretty exciting that we can reverse damage that's already been done.

So while we wait for someone in government to read this article and jump aboard the compost program bandwagon, here are some things you can do personally to show some love to our soil.

If you’ve got a backyard…

Invest in a compost bin and start to cultivate a veggie patch. It means you will no longer be chucking your food scraps in the general waste, and you’ll begin to appreciate the things you can grow with healthy soil.

If you live in an apartment…

You can get worm farms or Bokashi bins for inside your kitchen (Bunnings sells them, of course, and they’re kind of adorable). You could even arrange with your apartment neighbours to have a communal worm farm in a common area. If you treat the farms right, they won’t smell or attract creepy crawlies. And they’ll give you some ‘liquid gold’ on tap – spread the compost onto your pot plants or garden beds. If you don't own a single plant, donate them to a neighbour, or even a community garden. Sharewaste is great place to find where you can make use of this beautiful juice.

And if you’d like to set up a worm farm in your local school, community garden, or shared between some local businesses, here are some tips to get you started.

You're taking waste and turning it into fertility! Composting can be more fulfilling and rewarding than you thought; give it a try.

These personal initiatives are fantastic for reducing landfill and spreading the word on how great compost is – the more people that get into it, the bigger difference we can make.

And become a member of Kiss the Ground - they've got loads of resources for gardening and purchasing organic food. They also have courses on becoming an advocate for regenerative agriculture, if that's more up your alley than getting your hands dirty. We need to spread the message.

Because the truth is, we need to revitalise agriculture and regenerate soil on a much larger scale if we want to create an impact. We need local councils and governments to step up and follow the lead of the San Fran composting program – we need to get these food scraps to our farmers.

It may be hard to believe that something so smelly and overlooked holds the key to our future: both our health, and our planet. The more we can use compost and transform our soil, the more we can balance the climate and provide people with healthy, nutritious food. I told you - two birds, one stone.

We want to take care of this precious earth in any way that we can and give back to it, in return for what it gives to us - oxygen, food, water, nutrients, shelter, to name a few. The least you can do is give it back its damn food scraps.

So let's not just aim to "do less harm," let's actually be helpful. Let's turn the most destructive system on the planet (hint: it's agriculture) into something healing. By working with nature, we have got a solution to global warming.

The soil is going to save us. Even if you've never been a gardener, paint your thumb green and go get down and dirty.

Let me know your thoughts!