:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-1288125774-d83dc73e7a534c6aa21bd4eb0fb6bae3.jpg?ssl=1 "2025 Is the Year You Need to Finally Start Composting—6 Reasons It’s Worth It")
- Composting provides your garden with a range of benefits, and it’s very easy to do.
- Composting reduces waste, conserves water, and reduces erosion.
- Plants also benefit from compost and will be healthier, while your yard will be cleaner.
Composting transforms food scraps, leaves, lawn clippings, and other organic materials into valuable soil amendment for gardens.
Composting is simple and relatively quick. After several weeks, the organic materials have turned a rich brown color with a fluffy texture that promotes water absorption.
We spoke to gardening experts to learn why you should compost in 2025.
Reduces Waste
Much of our household waste is ground up in the garbage disposal or thrown away in the trash. Sara Rubens, owner of Seed to Sanctuary, says that up to 28 percent of the landfill volume comes from food scraps and garden waste.
“Composting at home means less is ending up in the landfill, and more good stuff is available for the garden,” Rubens says.
Michelle Zdybowicz, president and co-founder of Jeden BioScience, agrees with Rubens, relating the story of a friend who likes to compost—even though he isn’t a gardener. He just doesn’t like to waste things. So, he separates food scraps but ultimately places them into the organic waste bin for the trash company to collect.
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Boosts Soil Health
“Compost is packed with essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium that plants need,” Rubens says. “Plus, it’s got calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc.”
Simply put, compost is a natural, chemical-free way to nourish your plants, instead of relying on harsh synthetic fertilizers.
What Are Fertilizers?
Compost and fertilizers both fertilize plants. Compost has nutrients and it provides bulk and texture to the soil, so it helps with aeration and water absorption. NPK fertilizers (for nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) provide nutrients to the soil but don’t change the soil’s physical properties as much as compost.
As a bonus, compost even contains micronutrients like calcium, magnesium, and iron.
Soil organisms, such as earthworms and beneficial bacteria, thrive in rich compost, too. These organisms contribute to soil health. Better aeration allows these organisms to move through the composted soil.
Saves Water
Compost helps soil hold onto water better, Rubens says. Composted soil greatly reduces water runoff because it encourages absorption.
“By adding compost to your garden, you can use less water and still get great results with your plants,” she says.
When soil is rich in compost, it forms a protective layer that reduces surface water evaporation and keeps moisture in the ground. This, in turn, leads to healthy roots. It’s a cyclical process: When the roots are stronger, they can support soil better, too.
Reduces Erosion
Compost lessens erosion in the garden and around the yard. Because the soil isn’t compact and hard, water percolates into the soil.
In a well-composted garden or yard, water doesn’t run off as much. Whenever water runs off, it takes some of the soil with it.
It’s Responsible
If there’s only one reason why you should compost in 2025, Zdybowicz says, it’s because it’s the responsible thing to do.
“Composting allows me to take responsibility for my own organic materials rather than transferring that responsibility to the municipality,” Zdybowicz says.
Lessens Pollution
Without a doubt, pollution is increasing. Carbon emissions due to fossil fuel pollution grow year after year. In 2024 alone, carbon emissions are estimated to have increased by 0.8 percent.
There is no indication that 2025 will be any different. At this rate, carbon emissions will cause global temperature to rise by 3.6 degrees F by 2052.
“When organic waste is sent to landfills or commercial composting facilities, it consumes resources such as fuel for transportation and processing,” Zdybowicz says.
All of this contributes to air pollution, dust, and noise that can disrupt our lives, she adds. Composting can help by taking more vehicles off the roads and lessening the need for processing.
Cleaner Yard
Leaving organic waste in trash bins often attracts flies and rodents due to smells, says Michelle Zdybowicz. Veggie scraps, meat, bones, and other food materials left in trash cans until the next pickup date will begin to smell and attract insects.
That said, it is essential to know how to build a good compost pile to prevent unwanted pests. There are certain items that you can compost and others that you cannot compost.
Also, be sure to keep the ratio of greens to browns at three to four parts browns to one part greens. Greens include grass clippings, coffee grounds, and vegetable and fruit scraps. Browns are leaves, twigs, paper, cotton, and branches.