Organics (Food Waste)

Food waste is the largest category of material sent to landfills in the United States. In fact, according to the most recent Orange County waste composition study conducted in 2024, food waste and other organic materials made up 42% of the trash stream in Orange County.

Organic material can be composted through backyard composting, Orange County’s Food Waste Drop Off Program, and additional programs provided by Orange County like clean wood drop-off. By keeping organic material out of landfills and composting it, Orange County can reduce its landfilled waste by almost half.

Diverting food waste and organic material from landfills through composting helps prevent the production of methane gas. Methane gas is a colorless, odorless gas that is produced in part when organic material breaks down in landfills. When bacteria break down organic material in the absence of oxygen, methane is produced as a byproduct.

Methane gas is also a greenhouse gas. Greenhouse gases trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere, causing global warming and climate change. Methane gas is the second most abundant greenhouse gas, while carbon dioxide of the most abundant. However, methane gas traps significantly more heat than carbon dioxide, and methane concentration in the atmosphere has more than doubled in the last two centuries.

When bacteria break down organic material in a composting system, the amount of methane gas produced is minimized because oxygen is available to bacteria.

Compost provides many benefits to soil and plants. When added to agricultural systems, home gardens, yards, or potted plants, compost can:

• Provide stable plant available nutrients.
• Improve soil infrastructure.
• Protect against soil desertification and erosion.
• Increase resilience to floods and droughts.
• Improve water retention and reduce stormwater runoff.
• Suppress plant diseases.
• Reduce the need for chemical additives like pesticides and herbicides.
• Immobilize and degrade pollutants, thereby improving water quality.