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Benefits

Northern’s Organic Compost: A Natural Choice

Compost use can result in a variety of environmental & economic benefits. The following are a few of the most important benefits:

Compost Naturally Enriches Soil

Compost has the ability to help regenerate poor soils. The composting process encourages the production of beneficial micro-organisms (mainly bacteria and fungi) which in turn break down organic matter to create humus. Humus – a rich nutrient-filled material – increases the nutrient content in soils. Compost has also been shown to suppress plant diseases and pests, reduce or eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers, and promote higher yields of agricultural crops.

Compost Aids in Moisture Retention

The addition of compost may also provide greater drought resistance and more efficient water utilization. Therefore, the frequency and intensity of irrigation may be reduced. Since compost can hold many times it own weight in moisture, its use can greatly assist the establishment of roadside plantings. Recent research also suggests that the addition of compost in sandy soils can facilitate moisture dispersion by allowing water to more readily move laterally from its point of application.

Compost Helps Prevent Pollution & Erosion

Composting organic materials that have been diverted from landfills ultimately avoids the production of methane and leachate formulation in the landfills, helping to fight global warming. Compost has the ability to prevent pollutants in stormwater runoff from reaching surface water resources. Compost has also been shown to prevent erosion and silting on embankments parallel to creeks, lakes, and rivers, and prevents erosion and turf loss on roadsides, hillsides, playing fields, and golf courses. In addition, compost overs can be used as a mulch to effectively control weeds.

Compost Helps Clean Up Contaminated Soil

The composting process has been shown to absorb odors and treat semi-volatile and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including heating fuels, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and explosives. It has also been shown to bind heavy metals and prevent them from migrating to water resources or being absorbed by plants. The compost process degrades and, in some cases, completely eliminates wood preservatives, pesticides, and both chlorinated and non-chlorinated hydrocarbons in contaminated soils.

Compost Offers Economic Benefits

Using compost can reduce the need for water, fertilizers, and pesticides. It serves as a marketable commodity – bulk compost is a low-cost alternative to bagged and artificial soil amendments. Composting also extends municipal landfill life by diverting organic materials from landfills and provides a less costly alternative to conventional methods of remediating contaminated soil.

Compost Decreases GHG Emissions and Closes the Loop Locally

Composting significantly decreases greenhouse gas emissions. The nutrients from organic materials are sent back into the earth as natural soil enhancers instead of to a landfill, where they sit forever, giving off methane gas (a greenhouse gas at least 30 times as potent as carbon dioxide). Landfill operators claim to capture methane, but studies show that a significant percentage is still escaping into the atmosphere and heating the planet. Instead, the organic compost produced from yard waste and other organics is used at many local gardens, farms, and vineyards, decreasing the need for synthetic fertilizers, conserving water, saving unnecessary transportation energy, and closing the loop locally and sustainably.