Leonia Composts Aims to Create an Environmentally Sustainable Leonia
Slowing the detrimental effects of climate change seems impossible for just individuals—but is it really? The Leonia Environmental Commission offers a great program that allows Leonians to make a personal impact towards a sustainable town: Leonia Composts. Leonia Composts, which launched in 2024, is the town’s partnership with Neighborhood Compost, a woman-owned NJ business that is turning scraps of food into nourishment for soil. The program aims to reduce food waste (as compost is decaying organic material) and make a positive environmental change in New Jersey. Through a monthly subscription of $16, one can contribute to this cause.
Karen Marx, the chair of the Leonia Environmental Commission, said that she thought of this program when she “learned about NYC’s food waste composting program several years ago,” adding that her view of composting changed as well when she discovered “that ALL foods can be composted, including cooked and raw meat, bones, and banana peels, for example.” Her now expanded perspective then brought new possibilities.
The benefits of composting go beyond reducing food waste. Marx shares that composting mitigates greenhouse gas emissions, as “58% of methane released from landfills is derived from food waste.” Non-environmental benefits of municipal composting include “community engagement” and “[reducing] the cost of waste disposal” for Leonia. While climate change is a large, global issue, Leonia Composts believes that “people should subscribe in order to help the efforts to improve our environment for future generations” as “small modifications can have an impact if many people join in.” Personal impact can eventually lead to greater change, and Leonia Composts is an amazing example of this.
After hearing about the benefits of the program, freshman Isa Fernandez said that the benefit that stuck out to her the most was “[the program’s] ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, especially methane from landfills because methane is a major contributor to climate change and reducing it can have a real environmental impact.”
The monthly subscription is also reduced to $10 for seniors, and for those who may not be able to afford the regular price, negotiations can be made. Isa also said that she feels “that the price of the subscription makes sense because it goes towards a good cause and reduces waste, lower harmful emissions, and improve the overall community, making the benefits much greater than the price.”
As climate change continues to grow worse in our world, it is extremely important that people make change by just themselves. Leonia is lucky enough to have a program that makes this change easier and accessible. Through Leonia Composts, you can make the future better for everyone.
For more information, please visit: https://leoniacomposts.com/