U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data shows that less than 5% of residential food waste is composted.
"Organics recycling is where traditional recycling was two or three decades ago in terms of development," said Scott Smithline, former director of the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, who now heads public policy and regulatory affairs atHere's what consumers need to know about composting today and where things are headed:There's an array of ways people can compost today, depending in part on location and available services.
Meanwhile, several states are looking to these efforts for guidance, said Stacy Savage, founder of consulting firm Zero Waste Strategies. For consumers who have a hankering to try composting, there are a variety of free to low-cost options at home, including a bucket and a few worms, said Lauren Click, executive director of, a non-profit that aims to make composting free and accessible. Those who don't want to compost in their backyard, or don't have the space, can