What's the difference between throwing your food in a compost bin rather than a trash can? When food decomposes in a landfill, it releases large amounts of methane, which is traps up to 100 times more heat than carbon dioxide over a five year period. This is because food in a landfill breaks down anaerobically (without oxygen). Compost works because we make sure the food is aerated (it is supplied with oxygen). When breaking down aerobically, food releases significantly less methane and other harmful greenhouse gases.
Why should we care that it slows down landfill usage? It may not seem like much when you throw out your leftovers, but food is actually the largest contributor to landfills, amounting to 35 million tons in the U.S. every year. At the current rate, Rhode Island's landfill will be full by 2038, so SCRAP is doing its part to divert waste (keep it out of the landfill) in order to preserve Rhode Island's non-landfill beauty.
What are we supposed to do with compost? It's just dirt. Compost is a nutrient-rich soil amendment, much like fertilizer, that takes the nutrients food and puts them back into the soil where they can be used by other plants and animals. As far as SCRAP sees it, it's a waste to let all those nutrients sit around in a landfill. Because of this amazing property, compost reduces the need for costly fertilizers that have a huge environmental impact.