Abby Schogel

Earth Resources and the Environment

Dr. Clark

4/29/16

Composting

Composting was never something I knew much about

growing up. It was not mentioned in my house or school but at my

summer camp I was aware that we made a separate pile for wasted

food from garbage. I never really knew what they did with the separate

piles or why they were necessary, but I see now that the camp utilized

a compost pile for all the uneaten food. It has been a slightly

contentious topic at Wheaton of whether or not the school should

adopt a compost pile and prioritize managing waste in that way. In Dr.

Rykens town hall chapel, a students question mentioned that the idea

had been suggested in the past and asked why further measures had

not been taken. Dr. Ryken did not give a direct answer but alluded to

complications that made the advance not worth it. This sparked my

interestwhat are the negative outcomes of compost that prevent

institutions that use so much food from utilizing them? Or is it just an

undervaluing of the outcome that prevents advancing on the idea? I

will attempt to understand the benefits and disadvantages of

composting on a large scale through research in this paper in order to

conclude whether it is something Wheaton should consider further.

The benefits of composting seem to be significant and numerous.

Not only is composting beneficial because it keeps waste out of

landfills, but the compost itself is versatile and useful. It is actually

very valuable and can be sold to improve the properties of soils and

growing media physically, chemically, and biologically (USCC). More

specifically, the US Composting Council describes the improvement of

the soils structure as a benefit of using compost material. Compost

helps dense soil to become more porous, which helps plants to grow

their roots. It also helps the soil texture and structure of the soil long-

term, making it less compact but also permeable. Compost added to

soil significantly improves water utilizationsoil is more drought

resistant and facilitates moisture dispersion. Beyond physical benefits,

the use of compost also improves the chemical make-up of the soil. It

helps to stabilize the pH levels, and provides nutrients to the soil.

These macro and micronutrients include nitrogen, phosphorous,

potassium and many others that aid in the growth of plants. With this

chemical improvement, soil is significantly more stable in the long run.

The final benefit of compost to soil is biologically. The bacteria,

protozoa, actinomycetes and fungi added to the soil aid in organic

decomposition and promote root activity. The compost also helps to

reduce plant diseases, weeds and erosion (USCC). If Wheaton were to

compost, all the material would be available to use for all the

previously stated benefits and could even sell the material to help

other soil.

There are countless environmental reasons to be considered in

regards to composting as well. The benefit of having the compost

material to use or sell is tangible for the school, but being

environmentally friendly should be a similarly high priority.

Composting minimizes waste in landfills, waste that remains

untouched and cannot decompose because of the insufficient oxygen

levels. Landfills also release greenhouse gases (methane), a factor that

contributes to climate change. Beyond avoiding the landfill, compost is

a better way to eliminate waste because with the releasing of

ammonia, the odor is lessened, the opposite effect of that of a landfill

(One Green Planet).

Landfills have disastrous effects on the environment. The EPA

reports that methane that is a result of the rotting waste is 20 times

more effective than carbon dioxide at trapping heat from the sun

(Love to Know). This not only harms the air quality near the landfill but

also the contaminants enter the atmosphere. Additionally, the waste

disposed of into landfills finds its way into the ground and water, often

harming the environment and animals in the area. Chemicals, like

those from simple household cleaners, seep into water sources and

spread over time. Considering all these factors, it would seem that
composting would be advantageous for Wheatonboth in benefits of

using the composted matter and in bettering the environment.

Though there are plenty of positive reasons to compost, there

are also drawbacks. Primary problems Wheaton would encounter are

that of land, time and money. Composting on such a large scale

(considering all of the food waste from students and Bon A Petit) would

take a considerable amount of land. Not only would the compost pile

itself take land, but also the storage of the compost matterboth

which would be a bit unsightly so itd have to be off-campus.

Transporting the waste to the compost pile and the care required to

keep the pile thriving would take additional time and work, an expense

the school would have to consider. For the size of the pile the school

would require, equipment would probably be necessary to turn the

compost, something that is essential to be done frequently to keep the

pile healthy. There would also have to be a process set in place to sort

the waste or assure that everything disposable in Saga is compostable,

which would add to the time and money. Beyond direct obstacles the

school would face, compost piles also have minor disadvantages to the

environment. Because the compost replaces the manure that would be

used to improve the soil quality and compost contains less than half

the nitrogen of manure, the levels of nitrogen in the soil and

atmosphere are would be less (Alberta).

 Composting is, in the large scale, a beneficial practice and I hope

to see it be incorporated more into everyday-life. I think that for family

homes and small businesses, composting is an easy change to make

and the work put into maintaining the pile is far worth the rewards of

helping the environment. However, I do see the hesitations that the

Wheaton administrators may have to instating a compost system at

the school. Because there is so much work that goes into the food at

Wheaton as it is, it would be difficult to instate a program that

increased the work, with minimal tangible reward. There would be a

gap of time before the compost pile would begin to be profitable to the

school, after time and money are required for the set-up (purchasing

land, equipment, employees to tend, etc.) and the school could even

chose to not sell the compost matter, meaning it would be a

substantial investment with little to no returns. The effort required to

maintain the pile could become a student initiativeI am aware of the

A Rocha club, the group who has been the most vocal about the

instatement of a compost pile, and I would hope that this group and

other students would be willing to relieve part of the burden from the

school by maintaining the pile. If a compromise could be made

between the students and administration to ease the burden of time

and money, I think a compost pile should be a possibility for Wheatons

future and I hope that it is considered as such by the administration

because of the many benefits possible for the school and the

environment.

Works Cited

""Composting Benefits and Disadvantages." Alberta; Agriculture and

Forestry. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.

Lights, Zion. "5 Reasons Why Composting Is the Greenest Thing You

Can Do." One Green Planet. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.
Reddy, Namratha, David M. Crohn, Frederick F. Ernst, and Vijayasatya

N. Chaganti. "Characterizing Water Holding Capacity and Runoff

during Composting of Greenwaste and Biosolids." Compost

Science & Utilization 21.3-4 (2013): 164-76. US Compost Council.

Web.