How can one person help save the ocean? Compost

Our oceans are in trouble. What can one person do to save them?

Compost.

Yes, composting — creating that “black gold” of decomposed food scraps and yard waste — supports ocean health. It’s a relatively simple individual action that adds up to a healthier planet.

Right now, a third of the food we produce — everything from uneaten leftovers to food scraps to fruits and veggies that don’t make the cut to market — ends up in landfills. Smashed under tons of other trash, that waste decomposes without the benefit of oxygen, emitting methane, a gas much more harmful to our atmosphere than even carbon dioxide. It warms the planet more quickly, including oceans, damaging marine life in the process. The food waste problem is bad enough that, for the first time, our country has a national strategy to combat the problem, issued last month.

Instead of sending food waste to the landfill, we should compost it. Right now, about 6% of food waste ends up as compost. While there are many different types of composting, from the backyard pile to the community composter to large-scale digesters that capture methane gas, the end result is always less methane in the atmosphere and thus, a cooler and less acidic ocean.

Composting also, of course, creates compost — and that dark, crumbly stuff helps the ocean, too. Applied to gardens, parks, farms and golf courses instead of chemical fertilizer, nutrient-rich compost eliminates harmful chemical runoff, which ends up in the ocean, often creating “dead zones” in the sea. Compost can restore soil health so that soil can hold water for longer — meaning farmers and gardeners need less water for similar or higher crop yields. Good soil filters water that runs into streams, rivers, and ultimately oceans. And it is better at absorbing and holding atmospheric carbon, decreasing the burden on the ocean to absorb carbon.

After recognizing the benefits of composting for ocean health, how do we actually start composting? For those with a yard, composting at home is convenient and doesn’t require much more than a small corner to put your scraps in and something to stir it with every couple weeks. “Cold” composting is even easier — letting nature take its course without having to turn a pile or add cardboard and water.

Some cities, states and other municipalities around the country, like New York and the Town of Riverhead, have either curbside composting or other similar programs.

Composting can be a harder lift without curbside pickup — but it’s still possible. Local composting organizations like Compost Power in New York City and the Baltimore Compost Collective build community through composting, generate local green jobs, and distribute nutrient-rich soil right back to their contributors. They’re often led by people of color, in communities that face the greatest harms from climate change. Community composters nationwide often offer pickup services for a fee, or invite drop-offs at no charge.

If there are no community composting options or backyard methods that make sense for you, then it might be time to take up advocacy. The composting community is growing, and resources are plentiful for anyone interested in starting a local garden or trying to bring the practice to their town or city.

As it turns out, the ocean is a lot closer than we think, no matter where we live. Saving it really does start in our own backyards.

This guest essay reflects the views of Wendy Schmidt, a philanthropist and investor who has founded nonprofit organizations to work with communities for renewable energy, resilient food systems, healthy oceans, and the protection of human rights.