{"id":25188,"date":"2026-02-09T14:05:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T22:05:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/kitsap\/?page_id=25188"},"modified":"2026-03-18T11:15:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T18:15:31","slug":"composting-food-waste-reduction","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/kitsap\/composting-food-waste-reduction\/","title":{"rendered":"Composting & Food Waste Reduction"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Welcome to Composting & Food Waste Reduction<\/h1>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Welcome to Composting & Food Waste Reduction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This work began with reducing food waste by harvesting fruit from our urban landscape\u2014then expanded to gardens and farms. But food waste doesn\u2019t stop there. Grocery store overstock and produce that\u2019s nearing the end of its shelf life can also be given a second life through food recovery efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most important place to focus is at home. Nearly 40% of food waste happens in our households, and studies show that about half of the food we throw away could have been edible. There is also the connection between food waste and methane<\/a>, a potent greenhouse gas that affects climate change. How we manage our food\u2014and our food scraps\u2014matters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through Composting and Food Waste Reduction, I\u2019ll share why composting is important, how simple it can be, and how recycling food scraps supports nature\u2019s own recycling system. I\u2019ll also help you make the most of the food you already have. For example, did you know that most food expiration dates are about quality, not safety? Or that wasted food costs households hundreds of dollars each year\u2014not just in groceries, but in disposal?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This work is about making good choices easier, saving money, and caring for our community and environment at the same time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We are the Change<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

No one wants to waste food, but it happens across our food system from farm to fork. The good news is that many high-impact solutions already exist like composting\u2013 they just need the right combination of motivation, stakeholder alignment, and financing to scale.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Food waste habits are catching up with us. We are learning that we are part of a natural system\u2014one that is designed to recycle. Recycling nutrients like food helps build healthy ecosystems right beneath our feet and supports the natural exchange of carbon.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

How big of an issue is food waste? Why is more than 40 percent of food thrown away\u2014and how is it connected to climate change. The ReFed organization has been working to collect data across the nation to quantify the impacts of food waste and our opportunities for reduction and diversion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is clear we have a multi-level food waste issue that has some staggering impacts on the economy, environment, and the consumer, as indicated in the “From Surplus to Solutions:
2025 ReFED U.S. Food Waste Report<\/a>.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our connection to carbon through composting shows how even small actions add up quickly. Climate change: Earth’s giant game of Tetris by Joss Fong<\/a> illustrates the connection between carbon and climate change, but more so, how carbon should be put back in the soil rather than discarded like waste. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collect your Food Scraps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you decide to compost, you’ll be looking for every opportunity to collect “greens and browns,” and the easiest place to start is a collection method in the kitchen. There are several options that you might consider<\/a>, as well as the kitchen compost toolkit<\/a> provided by Kitsap County Public Works Solid Waste Division; available while supplies last. There is an option to use the “compostable” bags, but make note, that compostable bags will not breakdown in home composting due to a lack of heat and turning, in comparison to municipal composting systems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about Backyard Composting <\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Composting may start as an endeavor for recycling organic material and maybe generating “black gold” for the garden. Then you learn that the process is alive, and when the soil is alive it functions as biology, and all of a sudden the ground under your feet turns into an ecosystem, in which we have come to exist and rely on, as it pertains to our food, and water mitigation. It really is exciting, and composting is your gateway to a new world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n