Is Composting Still Worth It in 2025? The Surprising Data
Stowe Gregory- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Written by Stowe Gregory
Did you know that the U.S. discards around 144 million tons of organic waste annually? That’s around 61% of municipal landfills! This represents a colossal missed opportunity to use organic waste as a resource and to reduce carbon emissions.
For many, the challenge of composting isn't about what to put into our compost, it's about navigating the contamination caused by plastic waste. With confusing labels, hidden plastics in packaging, and stricter composting guidelines, the process can feel frustrating. It's no surprise that some are starting to wonder: Is composting still worth it in 2025? We decided to dig into the latest data to find out—and here’s what we discovered.
How much waste can composting reduce?
If nationwide composting programs were implemented, an estimated 80 million tons of organic waste (including food waste) could be diverted from landfills annually. That’s a massive opportunity to reduce methane emissions and make use of waste that would otherwise rot.
But composting isn’t just about food waste.
It’s reported that the average American discards around 485 lbs (220 kilograms) of plastic waste annually. Imagine if even half of that plastic were replaced with compostable alternatives; that's a potential 110 kilograms of plastic diverted from landfills and replaced with materials that can be composted.
The overlap between composting and plastic reduction is growing, and it’s clear that composting in 2025 isn’t just worth it; it’s a practical, scalable solution to our growing landfill crisis.
What’s the difference between organic waste in compost vs landfill?
Some people assume that organic waste decomposes the same way in a landfill as it does in a compost bin. It’s all the same, right? Wrong!
Decomposition in the majority of modern landfills is anaerobic. So, organic matter turns into excessive amounts of methane instead of rich nutrients. Some landfills will burn the methane to reduce the effects, but others will vent it straight back into the atmosphere, which is terrible for global warming.
Plus, there are so many toxic chemicals and plastics in landfills that organic waste struggles to break down and becomes unusable as a resource.
Composting, however, captures the carbon and harmful nitrogen as solids, which can then be put to good use as fertilizer. So, instead of it going up into the air, you get a genuine benefit that is hard to find in other, natural ways.
The ripple effects could be significant. Here’s what the numbers show.
Is composting good for the environment?
Reduces greenhouse gases
Composting is reported to release 10% less greenhouse gas per ton of waste than landfills, a leading contributor to climate change. Landfills release vast quantities of methane emissions, which are considered 25x more powerful at trapping heat within the Earth’s atmosphere.
If the U.S. were to redirect 50% of its food waste to composting facilities, greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced by an annual quantity of 64.35 million tons!
Improves soil health
Composting provides a new life for organic matter as it breaks down naturally and can be used to enrich soil. As a result, water retention, erosion, and soil fertility are improved. Compositing is also shown to isolate carbon in the soil, helping to mitigate further climate change impacts.
Skip the synthetic stuff, your compost pile is dishing out the good stuff to Mother Nature, no artificial flavors included.
Helps your community
While these big national numbers may seem impressive, it can often feel like “what’s the point?” when the higher powers do little to help composting causes on a larger scale. However, compositing can make a significant difference on a local level.
Firstly, it can improve the local ecosystems, with less landfill contamination affecting water supplies and local biodiversity. Local farms and businesses can also use your compost to enrich their soils and improve farming quality with reduced chemical fertilizers.
Composting can also be great news for the local economy, as it creates at least twice as many jobs as landfills and four times more than incineration facilities!
One study reports that if the U.S. diverted 75% of municipal waste through recycling and composting by 2030, it could create 2.3 million jobs. For example, the State of Maryland estimates that it could support nearly 1,400 full-time jobs if it composted around 1 million tons of organic waste annually.
How does composting save money?
Landfill and garbage hauling fees are often calculated by weight or volume. With 17% of food ending up in landfills, organic waste is the heaviest part of many businesses’ waste. So, you have to ask yourself if you’re wasting money.
One study shows that composting can positively impact finances by diverting 30% of the average landfill or incinerated waste, making a saving on waste hauling fees by around $700 per ton!
Turns out, trashing trash can be a pretty pricey business. Disposal costs can quickly add up, especially when lumped together with common area maintenance fees, if you’re running a business. Without realizing it, you may be paying significant costs for waste that would be cheaper via composting collection.
If you have the space to compost it yourself, you’ll make even more dramatic savings. In some areas, your business may also be able to sell compost to local farms that are keen to reduce their fertilizer costs.
Can you boost your business’s profits with composting?
Adopting sustainable practices like composting can also help your business attract more environmentally conscious customers. Here’s what the data says:
Environmentally conscious consumers are willing to pay a 9.7% premium for sustainability-focused products and services.
58% of Americans are prepared to make environmentally conscious purchasing decisions, so your business may have room to boost its profits.
68% of Americans prefer to buy food and drink from brands that demonstrate clear action.
90% of consumers say sustainability, in general, is important to them.
You may also be able to collaborate with local farms and gardens to strengthen ties within your community and improve public perception.
In an era where people are getting sick and tired of companies thinking about nothing but pure profit, you can offer something meaningful over your competitors.
Gen Z | Millennial | Gen X | Boomer + | |
Willing to go out of the way to find a more sustainable business. | 25% | 25% | 20% | 14% |
Willing to dine at a sustainable business, but won’t go out of their way. | 70% | 71% | 74% | 81% |
Would prefer not to go to a sustainable business. | 5% | 4% | 6% | 5% |
Attract better talent
Composting also creates a positive company culture, giving employees the chance to contribute to sustainability initiatives and feel they’re making a positive impact. It can improve morale and attract more talent to your business.
According to IBM Newsroom, 67% of employees are more willing to apply for jobs from organizations they consider to be environmentally sustainable.
How to compost:
Whether you’re composting at home or in your workplace, here’s our quick checklist on how to compost in 2025:
Assess your needs and space
First, determine if you have space to compost the quantity of organic waste produced by your family or business.
Ideally, you’ll be able to compost on-site, which can make composting very efficient and cost-effective, and even give you the potential to sell your compost as fertilizer.
If not, you can partner with a local composting facility. Facilities tend to make life easier by taking care of moisture, odors, and pest management.
Educate your team and customers
Getting everyone on board can help maximize the impact of your composting program. Training them on composting procedures and helping them understand the benefits can keep things running smoothly and help them understand what they’re contributing to.
Sharing the program with your customers will also spread the good news and help to avoid throwing plastic waste into food waste bins.
Acquire composting bins
Carefully placed compost bins will allow staff to separate food waste from plastics with ease. Ideally, you’ll want to put compost bins somewhere cool, in a dry and ventilated area to avoid odors. Countertop compost bins in your prep areas are a good place to start.
Ditch the plastic
One of the biggest obstacles in composting? Plastic. It sneaks into food waste and contaminates compost bins. Not to mention, it totally clashes with your sustainability goals.
The solution? Switch to compostable alternatives that are designed to break down, not stick around. From compostable cups to plant-based straws and trash bags, there are better choices that support your eco-efforts instead of sabotaging them.
At Plastic Detox, we’ve made it easy to make the switch. Our store is stocked with plastic-free, compostable essentials that help you stay on track—at home, at work, or wherever sustainability matters.
Plan a collection system
Next, you must design a regular collection schedule to prevent the food bins from filling up without relief. You’ll want to keep this regularly and make sure your staff is aware of the system.
This is where a local composting facility can really help.
Partner with a local composting facility
Local composting facilities can collect your organic waste and process it at their site to reduce the burden on your business’s premises.
Some towns will offer curbside collection as part of their local collection services (which may dramatically reduce your costs), but otherwise, you can look for private haulers.
You can also manually drop off your compost at locations with compost bins, such as community gardens, farmers' markets, schools, or municipal buildings, which can be a worthwhile route if you’re operating a small business.
Use Plastic Detox to make your waste compostable!
So, is composting still worth it in 2025? Absolutely, when done right! Composting remains the most impactful way to reduce landfill waste and carbon emissions, but only if we keep the stream clean.
Most importantly, you need to use certified compostable products to reduce plastic contamination.
Plastic Detox specializes in selling compostable solutions, from compostable cups and containers to plates and sponges. We can help you say goodbye to plastic waste.
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