Composting has the benefit of reducing methane created in landfills?
September 22, 2009 by Composting
Filed under Composting Q&A's
parentalobotomy asked:
Can you explain this concept? I would have guessed the backyard
compost would create an equal amount of methane.
Some experts are calling a reduction in methane a side benefit to backyard composting.
Can you explain this concept? I would have guessed the backyard
compost would create an equal amount of methane.
Some experts are calling a reduction in methane a side benefit to backyard composting.
slaps on Tue, 22nd Sep 2009 7:38 pm
I can imagine a couple things, but they are pretty stupid.
First, the methane is not produced in a landfill. It still gets produced, but some bean counter can’t point to it, exactly, so the government might think it is less.
Second, it might be converted to CO2 more than in a landfill. The possibility is that worms might eat it and they exhale CO2, so net effect is less methane, more CO2. Sounds good because methane is worse than CO2, but the reality is methane will convert to CO2 in the atmosphere, so it really doesn’t matter.
ULTRA150 on Tue, 22nd Sep 2009 11:38 pm
Not really now they are collecting the gas from old landfills and putting it to good use.
whsgreenmom on Thu, 24th Sep 2009 4:11 pm
Methane is produced when organic matter decomposes. Not when synthetics breakdown. So, it is logical that removing the organic matter, we reduce methane.