The What and Why of Composting

Fun Fact: "Compost" is spelled the same in Italian, French, and Spanish, but the Germans insist on "Kompost." Whatever language one speaks, composting is a good thing. It’s International Compost Awareness Week, May 4-10, and it seems like a good time to ask why we should care about composting.

Simply described, compost is a mixture resulting from decomposing plant, food, and other organic waste for use as plant fertilizer and soil conditioner. It’s used to improve the soil’s physical, chemical, and biological properties by creating a mixture rich in plant nutrients and beneficial organisms, such as bacteria, worms, and fungi. It’s considered a superior fertilizer in landscaping, gardening,  and farming as the beneficial microbial life it supports suppresses pathogens and soil-borne diseases.

While you may be familiar with the idea generally, creating a ‘supply chain’ to collect the needed organic scraps and wastes, especially in an urban environment, has been challenging, although we are making progress. Composting, at scale, is a multistep, closely monitored process with measured inputs of water, air, and carbon- and nitrogen-rich materials. The decomposition process is aided by shredding the plant matter, watering, and ensuring proper aeration by regularly turning the mixture in a process using open piles or windrows.

In Newburyport, the Senior Community Center has been leading the way to increase composting with the “Drop a Bag, Get a Bag” program, complete with composting ambassadors and programs designed to simplify collection of table scraps and peelings. Ben Iacono, who helped lead and organize the program at the NSCC, says, “We tried to make the key elements of the program be convenience, affordability, and familiarity so it can serve as a model for the community. We started in October and by March we were collecting 90 gallons per week. Our October through March cumulative collection translates to 5,589 pounds collected to date. [We] anticipate higher volume through the summer.”

According to Sara Landry, Executive Director of the Newburyport Senior Community Center, “I hear every week from community members how much they appreciate the convenience of this program. They tell me that having a convenient Black Earth compost drop location is, in part, one of the reasons they can participate.” Every day, folks come to the Center, drop off their bag of scraps, and get a new compostable bag to take home for next time. The program has generated both awareness and enthusiasm for composting. Even the Wednesday morning men’s coffee and conversation group recently donated a large quantity of compostable plates to the Center along with its food offerings.

Such programs plus curbside collections are the ‘front end’ of the composting value chain. Other front-end sources include indoor farming operations, such as “Little Leaf Farms,” as well as cannabis growing facilities in our local area. These contributors also are users of the end product—compost itself.

According to Molly Ettenborough, the City's Recycling and Energy Manager, "Nationwide municipal waste management offices are increasingly promoting composting because food waste and other compostable materials make up about 20% of landfill waste, and due to anaerobic conditions, these materials take longer to biodegrade in the landfill, and collecting it as part of the traditional waste stream has grown increasingly costly. So encouraging composting saves taxpayer dollars."

Composting offers an environmentally superior alternative to using organic material for landfill because composting reduces methane emissions. Methane is an important driver of global warming, and it’s important to reduce it. Well-processed compost provides economic and environmental benefits and can be used for land and stream reclamation, wetland construction, and landfill cover. As our local supply chain of organic waste from restaurants and residents becomes better established, we will take pride in seeing a reduction in greenhouse gases as well as in mitigating the growing costs of waste disposal. Why not drop by the Senior Center, get a compostable scraps bag, and see if compost collection can work for you?

Sara Landry is the Executive Director of the Newburyport Senior/Community Center and may be reached at slandry@cityofnewburyport.com. Ben Iacono is a director of ACES and may be reached at biacono@comcast.net.

ACES believes we can make a BIG difference together. Team members invite you to stay updated on environmental matters by subscribing to our monthly newsletter via the “Join Our List” link on this page. Please consider joining our community of stewards who are committed to Make Every Day Earth Day by contacting acesnewburyport@gmail.com.

This educational column first appeared in The Daily News of Newburyport on April 25, 2025.