Tim Bennett, a 2005 graduate of Temple, started a monthly service, Bennett Compost, in hopes of inspiring a composting trend among Philadelpha city-slickers.
In a year, the average American generates roughly 1,500 pounds of trash, a number that could be considerably lower if more people took part in composting.
Composting is the process of producing natural fertilizer that is made from a mixture of decaying organic matter. Much of what we throw away is organic material that can be eventually turn into humus, the nutrient-rich substance used to maintain soil moisture.
Recycling just isn’t enough anymore.
To some, composting in the city seems too much of a hassle. But composting requires little space, time, money or effort, so it’s easy to get started in this eco-friendly practice. And if you can receive some help from a composting service, which do a majority of the work for you, it’s even easier.
Tim Bennett, a 2005 Temple alumnus who now works for Temple’s Small Business Development Center, decided to start a small composting business of his own. Bennett Composting hopes to aid people who are living in Philadelphia to compost their waste.
Bennett began his business, Bennett Compost, in June and already has about 36 customers. The composting service charges $10 a month.
“We’re making it as easy, affordable and convenient as possible,” Bennett said.
When you first sign up, Bennett Compost gives you a five-gallon container for your compost that comes with a sealable lid, so you don’t have to worry about unwanted bugs or animals getting in.
Then, you stuff the container with a balanced mixture of “green” and “brown” compostable materials. Green materials include things like grass clippings, garden weeds and kitchen scrapes, while brown materials usually consist of dry leaves, straw and sawdust.
Pick-up is weekly, but Bennett said the business is flexible with its customers’ busy schedules.
Bennett said signing up for a composting service would be a great investment for Temple students who live near Main Campus.
“If you have four housemates, then it’s only going to be $2.50 per person per month,” he said. “People tend to think composting is for those with a lot of money. But this isn’t true at all.”
Contributing a small amount of money to start composting can help reduce high levels of methane gas, which plagues our atmosphere and is actually worse than carbon dioxide. Methane gas is generated when bacteria decompose food and yard wastes in landfills, producing an acidic gas that is extremely toxic.
With composting, people can dump less trash in landfills and use certain wastes to actually enrich soil and prevent further pollution.
“Composting is becoming what recycling was 20 years ago,” Bennett said.
And as long as more people jump on this bandwagon, the composting movement could actually go somewhere.
Laura Fanciullacci can be reached at laura.fanciullacci@temple.edu.
I think its about time everyone practive composting. If well informed, i believve many will be encourage to support this activity.