Some states, municipalities and private-sector companies are pushing to make composting as commonplace as recycling. But it’s a long-haul effort. Composting has many benefits for the environment. It keeps food out of landfills, leading national food chains including Chipotle to expand its use at restaurants, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Composted materials improve soil health, expand the soil’s ability to store carbon and reduce the need for fertilizers and pesticides, which has led major packaged food companies, including PepsiCo, to explore how to create more compostable packaging.
“Organics recycling is where traditional recycling was two or three decades ago in terms of development,” said Scott Smithline, former director of the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, who now heads public policy and regulatory affairs at Mill, a maker of at-home bins designed to keep food waste out of landfills.