Benefits of composting
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Composting is one of several ways people can help take better care of the environment, and what makes it better is the ease of doing it.
Composting food scraps reduces the amount of waste going to the landfill. Another benefit is creating a soil conditioner rich in nutrients to add to your gardens. While you're making your soil healthier, composting also helps to prevent soil erosion, and more importantly, conserving water.
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates food waste makes up just under 30% of what we throw away.
Rich Segal spoke with Shannon Casey from the Take Care of Texas initiative from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Casey said the four main ingredients required for composting are water, oxygen, nitrogen and carbon.
Casey pointed out that there were things you could compost along with things that cannot be composted. Materials that are good to compost include fruit and vegetable scraps, egg shells, coffee grounds and tea leaves, and nut and nutshells.
Non-food-types eligible for composting are grass clippings, dry leaves, twigs and branches, shredded paper, cardboard and soiled napkins and paper towels.
What can't? Meat and dairy products, oil, cooked food, metal, plastic and glass.