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Promoting Sustainable Living Through Composting

Student(s):

Madelyn Bloom

Program or Department(s):

  • Program on the Environment
  • University of Washington

Site supervisor(s):

Danielle Bogardus

Partner(s):

  • Connect-3

Faculty advisor(s):

Sally Brown, School of Forest Resources, University of Washington

Composting is one of the key components for fighting against our current climate crisis. According to the EPA, landfills are one of the top three causes of methane emissions. People across the global south suffer greatly from the environmental and human health issues that stem from lack of proper waste management. Providing compost systems to a larger number of communities can help improve crop yields, lower methane emissions, create jobs, improve human health, and decrease landfill size. The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that need to be explored in order to give communities in the global south the best possible compost system. In order to do this I conducted an in depth literature review as well as toured a local compost facility. By doing this I was able to narrow down the factors which I found to be the most important when choosing a compost system for a community. Based on my literature review, I divided my factors into two main categories; Population and Government. Within population the three sub categories are population size, amount of waste per capita, and culture. Under government the three categories are utilities/ infrastructure, economics, and land access. With an understanding of these factors it will be easier to determine the most beneficial compost system for each individual community. Therefore, maximizing the endless benefits that compost has to offer for the health of humans and the planet.