On average, each resident of the metropolis produces about 350-400 kg of garbage per year. About a quarter of this is food waste, which is not only a source of bad smell in the kitchen, but is also recognized as one of the biggest sources of environmental pollution. Let's talk about what to do with food waste, about their impact on the environment.
What happens to organic waste in the natural environment
Unlike polymeric materials and other wastes that can be in the ground for tens and hundreds of years, organic waste decomposes quite quickly. How this process occurs depends on the conditions
Decomposition under the action of air and moisture is called aerobic. Bacteria and microorganisms work on the processing of organic waste into compost. An example is the foliage of trees or an apple that has fallen from a tree to the ground.
If there is no air access, decomposition occurs with the help of anaerobic bacteria. In this case, the waste slowly rots, emits gases harmful to health and the environment: methane, hydrogen sulfide, ammonia. The latter option is typical for those food waste residues that are sent to landfills. Very often they are thrown away in plastic bags, they are compacted with the help of heavy equipment, which excludes air access to organic waste. In this case, the latter do not turn into compost.
About half of the world's garbage is organic waste. Their deposits in landfills are a big problem. The environment is under serious attack. Anaerobic ammonia is highly toxic, and methane is a greenhouse gas that is extremely abundant in the atmosphere. Another problem is that organic waste makes recyclable materials, such as paper, unsuitable for recycling.
In developed countries, separate containers are used for each type of waste. Organic waste is collected separately and sent to industrial composters.
What are the ways to process food waste?
In many ways, the method of disposal determines the place where this process will take place. First, let's define the main ways to dispose of food waste:
- compost pit (suitable for summer cottages, private houses);
- compost feeder (a way to enrich the soil with nutrients and dispose of food waste);
- composting in a city apartment;
- using a disposer (food waste grinder).
Now about each of them in more detail.
Compost pit
Organic waste is processed into biohumus by compost worms, insects and microorganisms. It will take from six months to two years for the "ripening" of organics, it depends on the climate and waste. After that, they can be used as fertilizer. To speed up the process, special breeds of worms are used, which can be bought in specialized stores.
Compost feeder
Food waste can be used to saturate the soil with humus, which will be one of the guarantees of a high yield. In this case, organics are processed by microorganisms and worms. Since garden beds tend to be busy during the summer, it is best to create a compost feeder somewhere under bushes or trees.
Composting in a city apartment
There are two methods to start composting in a city apartment:
- With the use of biological products containing microorganisms. To do this, you need a sealed container in which you can dispose of any waste, and do it without unpleasant odors. The process of introducing agents containing microorganisms in high concentrations will be constant.
- Using worms of special breeds. Compost has a neutral smell if it does not contain onions, cabbage and animal waste. This type of composting requires regular control of acidity and humidity in the compost, which is an important condition for their vital activity. You also need to monitor the appearance of fruit flies.
With the help of a dispenser
The food waste disposer is the most convenient way to dispose of food waste in all respects. It has a lot of advantages, the main ones are:
- Saving money. Disposer allows you to reduce the cost of disposing of household waste, especially if you pay for the volume. Remember that household waste is at least half food waste.
- No bad smell. Leftover food is the main culprit in bad breath, especially in the summer. In the presence of a disposer, there is no need to store waste - they will be crushed and immediately removed into the sewer system.
- Hygiene and order. Maintaining hygiene in the kitchen will be much easier as you will be able to process vegetables and fruits in the sink, instantly organic waste through the sewer system.
- No pests. Insects and rodents appear where there is long-term storage of waste, in the kitchen or in garbage cans near the house. If they don't exist, they will disappear.
- Reducing the burden on the environment. Waste, including organic, which make up at least half of the total volume of domesticgarbage are a global problem. If your house has a disposer, then you automatically become a member of the eco-movement, the purpose of which is to protect nature. The grinder will help to significantly reduce the area of landfills, the amount of harmful substances released into the atmosphere, falling into the soil, water.
There are two types of food waste disposers: mechanical and electrical. More popular are the latter, which are safe and easy to operate. The process is as follows: waste appeared, turned on the water, pressed the button to activate the dispenser - that's all, in a few seconds you got rid of food waste.
The electric food waste shredder, which you can buy in our online store, is equipped with a chamber with crushing hammers. The waste that enters the chamber, which can be chicken bones, egg shells, watermelon and melon peels, etc., is crushed to small fractions and removed into the sewer system with a stream of water. Disposers can have different chamber volume, power, control method. For an average family of 4, a 550 W chopper with a chamber volume of 1200 ml is sufficient.
Summing up: how to deal with food waste.
In our opinion, the most acceptable for most households will be waste disposal with the help of disposers. This method is the least labor-intensive, it does not require operating costs and in no way violates the harmony in the kitchen and in the house as a whole. If you are using waste to improve the condition of black soil, pay attention to the first two methods for disposing of food waste.
