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Environment & Climate vocabulary · Waste and Recycling

Composting

Meaning in environment & climate, with examples

/ˈkɑːmpoʊstɪŋ/nounCommon term

In environment & climate, composting means: The controlled natural breakdown of organic waste, such as food scraps, garden waste and some paper, into a dark, nutrient-rich material that is used to improve soil.

In Turkish: kompostlama, kompost yapımı

How it is used

Used for home, community and industrial scales. The product is compost, and the verb is also compost. Industrial composting uses higher temperatures and can handle certified compostable packaging. Anaerobic digestion, which produces biogas, is another way to treat organic waste.

Example sentences

  1. The hotel started composting its kitchen waste and uses the compost in its gardens.

  2. Industrial composting is needed to break down these cups within 12 weeks.

Common collocations

  • home composting
  • industrial composting
  • compostable packaging
  • organic waste
  • anaerobic digestion
  • biodegradableAble to be broken down naturally by bacteria, fungi and other living things into water, carbon dioxide and natural materials.
  • waste hierarchyAn order of priority for dealing with waste: first prevent it, then reuse, recycle and recover energy, and only as a last option dispose of it.
  • waste managementThe collection, transport, sorting, treatment, recycling and disposal of waste, together with the planning and monitoring of these activities.
  • methaneA strong greenhouse gas (CH4) released by livestock, rice fields, landfills, coal mines and oil and gas operations. It traps much more heat than CO2 but stays in the air for only about 12 years.

More terms: Waste and Recycling

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