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The Mesa Press

The Mesa Press

The independent student news site of San Diego Mesa College.

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The Mesa Press

The Mesa Press

The Green Column

In these modern times, trash is paraded as something that can simply be ‘taken out’. But it’s never really ‘taken out’, it’s just taken to a place we cannot and wish not to see. Our shiny black bags go to the land of excessive packaging and disposable items that have sadly become the norm of our daily lives.

While trash in this consumer era is nearly impossible to avoid without fierce personal dedication and buyer sacrifice, there are a handful of items that I believe should not be viewed as trash by anyone; organic materials.

I’m talking about turning potential bag fillers into compost. Fruits, vegetables, grass clippings, eggshells.and the list goes on. Organic material will decompose at a fast enough pace so that it can be used within a few months if you know how to do it right.

One obstacle that will deter many people from composting is the time, attention to detail and dedication it requires, but if we put forth even a fraction of the time we spend on the computer or in front of the boob tube towards composting, we could actually make something rise from the dirt.

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Another discouraging factor may be space, say, if you’re living in an apartment or condo with limited outdoor space. Indoor composts are doable, but with our contemporary fear of nature, some may find it less than appealing to store a box of rotting organic matter inside the home. Compost made primarily of plant matter doesn’t stink like trash but puts off a wet and earthy fragrance.

Although it is obvious to me why having compost outweighs all the ‘negatives’ I’ve explored, I understand for some it is simply not an option. Lifestyle changes are hard to make, and it scarcely ever comes without a conflict of ego, but composting is an easy change that so many people can do without great sacrifice.

So why is it we don’t use this easily renewable energy source when it’s all so readily available? Perhaps it goes too strongly against our brawny but wasteful consumer habits, but it takes absolutely no sacrifice to turn potential trash into something we can directly recycle back into the earth.

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