Waste Less, Compost More: How Tracking and Transforming Food Waste Can Tackle Climate Change

When it comes to climate solutions, composting may not be the flashiest tool in the toolbox—but it's one of the most powerful and accessible. Every banana peel, coffee grounds, and uneaten leftover tossed in the trash represents a missed opportunity to turn waste into climate action.

Here in Durango and across the country, food waste is a serious—and seriously underestimated—problem that landfills do little to solve. It’s a common misnomer that food waste simply breaks down in landfills the same way it does in a compost pile—but that’s not the case. In landfills, food decomposes without access to oxygen, which slows the breakdown process and produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide over 100 years. Conversely, composting provides the oxygen-rich environment needed for natural decomposition, turning food scraps into nutrient-rich soil instead of harmful emissions.

In 2019, the EPA reported that food waste from households, restaurants, and grocery stores added up to roughly 66 million tons—most of which, around 60%, ended up in landfills. An additional 40 million tons came from food and beverage manufacturing and processing operations. That’s not just wasteful—it’s harmful. 

The Local Impact of Food Waste

In Durango alone, around 1,300 tons of food waste are sent to the landfill each year. That’s 1,300 tons of potential compost—rich in nutrients, capable of restoring soil health, and reducing our dependence on synthetic fertilizers—turned into methane instead. Nationally, landfills are responsible for approximately 17% of methane emissions, more than coal mining and manure management combined. It's a staggering number that highlights how urgent the issue is—and how crucial local action can be.

Composting: A Local Climate Hero

Composting isn't just about managing waste—it's a vital strategy for climate resilience and carbon sequestration. When compost is applied to soil, it improves water retention, enhances microbial life, reduces erosion, and even draws carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, locking it in the soil. Research shows that applying compost to rangelands can significantly increase the amount of carbon those landscapes store, making it an essential tool in the fight against climate change.

As reported in the Durango Telegraph, composting is “one of the lowest-hanging fruits we have” regarding carbon sequestration. Compost helps turn dry, dusty soil into a living, breathing carbon sponge. It's climate action right beneath our feet.

Table to Farm: Scaling Up Composting in Durango

Fortunately, Durango has a local leader in composting: Table to Farm Compost. In partnership with the City of Durango, Table to Farm is expanding its capacity to collect and process organic waste from residents and businesses across the region. With its upgraded facility and commitment to community education, Table to Farm is helping transform how we think about food waste—turning yesterday’s leftovers into tomorrow’s fertile soil.

The potential is huge. With thousands of households, restaurants, and institutions in the area, diverting food scraps from the landfill can make a measurable impact on local greenhouse gas emissions.

Tackling the Compostable Packaging Problem

One challenge facing composting programs everywhere—including in Durango—is the growing use of “compostable” packaging, usually made from corn starch, cassava, and sugar cane (also known as polylactic acid or PLA). While these items may be labeled as compostable and/or biodegradable, many require highly specific industrial conditions to break down properly—conditions that aren’t always met at local composting facilities. When these “compostable” containers are thrown in a trashcan, we are back to square one, as these containers do not break down effectively in a landfill and may also contribute to methane gas emissions.

To address this, Table to Farm directed a pilot study alongside several local businesses, such as Inner Joy Energy Bars, Zia Taqueria, and Green-Certified business Cream Bean Berry. The study aimed to test how various types of compostable containers behave under local composting conditions and ultimately determine what truly belongs in the compost bin.

Measuring to Manage: 4CORE’s Waste Audits

Before you can reduce food waste, you need to understand it. That’s where waste audits come in!

Thanks to a generous Visit Durango grant, 4CORE is currently conducting free waste audits for local businesses, helping them track what’s being thrown away and identify opportunities to compost more and waste less. By sorting and measuring trash and food scraps, these audits provide detailed insights into a business’s waste stream—highlighting both the impact and the potential for improvement.

Waste audits have already begun at local favorites like Cream Bean Berry, Esoterra Ciderworks, Hermosa Café, James Ranch Grill, Grassburger, and Gable House Bed & Breakfast. These businesses are not only gaining valuable sustainability data—they're helping to create a cleaner, greener community in Durango.

Volunteer-Powered Change

These waste audits wouldn’t be possible without our incredible volunteers. They suit up, sort through waste, and collect the data that drives positive change. It’s hands-on, eye-opening work that makes a tangible difference. 

If you're curious about composting or want to get more involved in climate solutions, please volunteer for our Leftover to Leaders Waste Audit Project for some hands-on experience.

Composting at Home

You don’t have to be a business owner to make a difference. Composting at home—whether through curbside services, backyard bins, or worm composting—can drastically reduce your household’s carbon footprint.

For those in the Durango area, Table to Farm offers residential compost pickup, making it easier than ever to divert food waste. If you’re ready to start composting in your backyard, Eco-Cycle’s guide is a fantastic place to begin.

Small Actions, Big Impact

Composting is nature’s original recycling system. It turns food scraps into fertile ground, supports local agriculture, and helps fight climate change—all while keeping methane out of the air and nutrients in the soil.

You're taking a meaningful step toward a more sustainable future by supporting composting services, participating in waste audits, or simply tossing your banana peel into a compost bucket instead of the trash.

Let’s waste less and compost more—because the power to heal our planet can start right in our own kitchens, gardens, and trash cans.