Organic Waste Recycling

There are a lot of benefits to implementing an organic waste recycling program in your household or workplace. In this article, we're going to touch on what organic waste recycling is, how organic waste recycling is a benefit to the environment, what items can be included in organic waste recycling (and which can't), and how you can implement a program in your household or business. Here at Panda Environmental, we offer a number of services including an organic waste recycling program. Click here to contact us today and learn more.

"It has been a pleasure dealing with you [ Brent - sales manager] and your company over the years. Your customer service is second to none. We look forward to working together for many more years to come."

- Tomas, a Panda Environmental Customer

Click here for more reviews!

What Is Organic Waste Recycling?

Organic waste recycling is the method of taking organic items that can naturally decompose, such as fruit scraps or egg cartons and subjecting them to an environment where they'll be able to break down naturally and rapidly. By implementing an organic waste recycling program you can help to raise your recycling rates, help out the environment, and the rich soil created in the process can be used to grow other fruits and vegetables if you have a home or office garden. There are different types of organic waste recycling that you can consider. Agverra describes 6 methods in their article "6 Composting Methods You Should Know About". Most of these methods can be done at home, or in the office as long as the space is available. These methods are:

The Plain Vanilla Method: Very straightforward method of composting. Layering brown organics at the bottom, followed by greens and then topped off with soil. You'll turn the pile every 2-3 days and it generally takes 3-4 months to break down fully.
3-Bin Method: Similar to the plain vanilla method but you don't turn your compost. The least labour intensive, but also takes almost 3 years for your compost to mature.
Quick Composting Method: In this method you shred your organic materials prior to layering them, and turn the pile every 2 days to keep the materials hot. This helps them break down faster. Very labor intensive but also very fast.
Anaerobic Method: Place your browns, greens and soil into a heavy-duty garbage bag and put them in a cool place in your garden, leaving them for 6 months.
Trench Composting: Dig a trench about 3 feet deep and bury your organic waste in it. Place them in layers, topping them off with soil. Once the trench is full wait a few months for the soil to mature and then it'll be ready to use.
Vermicomposting: With this method you'll use red earthworms to help break down your organic materials faster.

What Are Some Of The Benefits Of Organic Waste Recycling?

According to recycleworks.org there are a few reasons why you should consider organic waste recycling/composting. Here are a few of them:

Organic waste recycling helps to divert waste from entering a landfill. 30% of the waste that ends up in a landfill can be composted
Plants that are grown in healthy soil, such as the soil that results from composting, tend to produce better and are able to fight off pests or diseases
Adding organic materials to soil improves its retention
Composting will help you to save money! Using compost defrays the cost of soil conditioners or bagged manures
Composted soil can help to balance the pH levels in the soil

You can also check out our article "Five Reasons to Reduce Waste Costs By Using Organic Waste Composting" for more benefits.

What Can Go In My Organic Recycling Bin?

There are a lot of items that are acceptable for any organic recycling program. Here's a list of some of the most common items, but a rule of thumb is that if the item is made of organic material (ie. is natural) then generally it's compostable.

Fruits and vegetables
Any bakery items
Paper cartons (milk, juice etc.)
Coffee grinds/filters
Paper products (plates, napkins etc.)

Red meat, poultry, seafood
Eggs and nuts
Other plants or flowers
Tea bags
Dairy products

Examples of items that are not compostable include metals, plastics, and electronics. These are, however, recyclable through other methods. You can learn more about those here.

How Do I Start An Organic Waste Recycling Program?

It's actually not as difficult as you think! One of the first things you'll want to do is make sure everyone is on board. If you're implementing this program in a household you'll want to ensure everyone residing the home understands that this program is something you'll be partaking in. If not, a lot of the organic materials will end up in the trash instead of in the organic waste collection. This is true as well if you're implementing in a workplace, but you'll also want to make sure you have the green light from all of your management.

Next, you'll want to decide what type of organic waste recycling program you'd like to implement. To do this you can either research about different types of composting programs or you can contact your local waste reduction specialists. They should be able to help you decide what type of program would work best for you. Here at Panda, we'd love to help you come up with a program that suits your needs perfectly. Click here to contact us today.

Lastly, you'll want to begin implementing the program. Visit your local hardware store to purchase all of the materials you'll need to build your composting area and a bin to collect all of your organic waste in. Once you've completed this, you should be ready to start up your organic waste recycling program! If you have any more questions feel free to contact us here at Panda Environmental.

Panda Environmental

Panda Environmental has strived to be a leader in responsible waste management and recycling solutions across Ontario for over 15 years. We are able to service all of your business's waste and recycling handling needs, including hazardous waste. For a full list of our service areas you can click here. Click here for a list of all of the waste management and recycling solutions that we provide.