Back to Earth: Composting for Various Contexts

With organics making up more than 50% of solid waste in Asia, managing this waste stream will have a huge impact on waste management and the reduction of methane emissions. 

With superb illustrations and easy-to-follow instructions, “Back to Earth” encourages people to explore every facet of composting: whether in a sprawling backyard or in a limited space such as a high-rise apartment, composting can be customized to suit any situation. 

The most important message, however, is that composting is a simple and yet effective step anyone can take to help alleviate the burden on our landfills, replenish soil nutrients, and reduce carbon and methane emissions. 


Shibu Nair of GAIA, Saraswathi Devi Odian of Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP), and Fictor Ferdinand of Yayasan Pengembangan Biosains dan Bioteknologi (YPBB) share simple composting techniques that the public can do at home, especially while on lockdown.

In this webinar we explore community composting programs implemented in India, Ghana, and the United States. Experts talk about different composting techniques and discuss lessons learned.

This webinar explores best practices and different experiences of community composting in the U.S.

The Chilean community of La Pintana has found that recycling their largest segment of waste—fruits, vegetables, and yard clippings—can save them money, produce valuable compost, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The program cost very little to initiate and has grown steadily for seven years, through an ongoing education campaign about source separation for residents who reap benefits in the form of new trees and public parks.

En América Latina y el Caribe los residuos orgánicos representan, en promedio, el 50% de los residuos sólidos urbanos (RSU). En consecuencia, aplicar políticas públicas que prioricen reducir y aprovechar esta fracción puede llevar a disminuir a la mitad la disposición de RSU. En este estudio de caso exploramos las iniciativas de Sinba, Banco de alimentos y Plato lleno en Perú.

En América Latina y el Caribe los residuos orgánicos representan, en promedio, el 50% de los residuos sólidos urbanos (RSU). En consecuencia, aplicar políticas públicas que prioricen reducir y aprovechar esta fracción puede llevar a disminuir a la mitad la disposición de RSU. En esta publicación presentamos la experiencia de Suchitoto, El Salvador.

La comuna de La Pintana, ubicada en Chile, descubrió que a través del reciclaje de la porción más grande de residuos –frutas, vegetales y restos de poda– ahorraba dinero, producía compost y reducía las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero.

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