“The Three R’s” has become part of the waste management vocabulary over the years, referring to “reduce,” “reuse,” and “recycle.”

Composting provides a way to incorporate the three R’s into one, and we can help - contact us today to find out how!

Consider the following from the Cornell University Waste Management Institute:

A major issue facing modern society is waste management. More simply put, what should we do with the waste we produce? A growing emphasis has been placed on the three R's: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Composting provides a means of accomplishing all three of the R's. Through composting the amount of garbage sent to the landfill is reduced, the organic matter is reused rather than dumped, and it is recycled into a useful soil amendment.

Let’s now take a closer look at how composting involves each of the three R’s.

Composting and The Three R's

Reduce

Food scraps and yard waste make up about 30% of what we send to landfills. Not only does it all take up space, this waste releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

The Washington Post writes that cutting down on food waste “represents one of the greatest possibilities for individuals, companies and communities to contribute to reversing global warming and at the same time feed more people, increase economic benefits and preserve threatened ecosystems.”

Composting allows for an alternate waste management stream for food waste, thereby reducing not only the amount of trash you send to the landfill, but also the cost of having it picked up.

Reducing food waste is one of the most important things we can do to reduce our carbon footprints

Reuse

It may seem strange to talk about reusing food waste, but composting does the trick.

Let’s use the Office Composting Program as an example.

After signing up, you receive a Green Bin to collect all your organic waste and compostable materials. All the same items that you would Green Bin at home can be put in the Green Bin in your office. This includes:

Food scraps
Coffee grinds
Tea bags
Paper towels
Tissues

These compostable items will be picked up weekly by a Team Member, and replaced with a fresh Green Bin.

The collected organic material enters the compost stream in one of four ways; it is donated to local neighbourhood garden compost piles, sent to the Region of Waterloo’s Compost facility, sent to Davidson Environmental, or used at Kitchener Clean’s Worm Farm, where it becomes worm castings (a high grade fertilizer).

The re-usability of food waste isn’t immediate, but comes a bit later during the composting process, where it becomes a valuable resource for regeneration!

Recycle

When we think of recycling, we picture adding paper products to the blue bin. Did you know newspaper, cardboard, and other paper products are safe to use when composting? It’s true!

Here are a few benefits of doing so, with help from Den Garden:

Shredded paper provides an excellent source of carbon, a requirement in the composting process.
When using shredded paper for your compost bin, it helps to increase moisture absorption and water retention.
Shredded paper helps to bulk up the volume of soil.
Worms thrive when you use shredded paper!

Thanks to recycling initiatives, the majority of paper and inks used today are virtually contaminant free. Compost produced with paper almost always contains less contaminants than compost produced using yard trimmings!

For more, be sure to read about our Compost Program.

You can add bits of shredded paper to your compost instead of tossing it in
the blue bin

Trust Us to Help Incorporate The Three R’s Into Your Composting!

The Office Compost Program was developed by a locally owned and operated family cleaning business, so we treat our customers like we would treat our own family - with respect.

We value integrity, consistency, and thoroughness with all of our clients.

Our reputation is important to us, so we guarantee all of our services. If for any reason you are not completely satisfied, simply contact us and we will return within 24 hours to address your concern at no additional cost.

To get started with an office compost program, simply contact us today for a free quote. We will always stand behind our work.

“We are currently using the compost program and they have been great as our company has grown and our usage increased. Very friendly and terrific service!”