# Methane Control

When examining the causes of global warming, methane is a greenhouse gas that is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO₂). And unlike CO₂ which is consumed by plants and trees (in exchange for food and oxygen), methane lingers for 10 to 12 years in the atmosphere until it breaks down into carbon.

Methane is also an odorless and colorless gas, which can cause health issues when exposed either in a concentrated form, or over an extended period of time. Landfills are the 3rd largest producer of Methane gas, and Rumpke's facility in Colerain township is the number one landfill emitter of methane in the United States, responsible for over 100 Million pounds in 2019:

# Methane from Landfills

Organic waste from food scraps emit large amounts of methane when they decompose under conditions that lack oxygen. This is common where garbage is dumped in plastic bags, and is buried within landfills. The following is from a recent study as reported by the New York Times:

For the new study, scientists gathered data from airplane flyovers using a technology called imaging spectrometers designed to measure concentrations of methane in the air. Between 2018 and 2022, they flew planes over 250 sites across 18 states, about 20 percent of the nation’s open landfills. At more than half the landfills they surveyed, researchers detected emissions hot spots, or sizable methane plumes that sometimes lasted months or years. That suggested something had gone awry at the site, like a big leak of trapped methane from layers of long-buried, decomposing trash, the researchers said.

Is there a better way for people and communities to manage "food scraps"?

# Composting Food Scraps

Composting generally does not produce methane, and experts say it can be effective in reducing methane emissions. Here is where chickens can help:

• They will eat most of your food scraps
• They will also eat bugs drawn to the same scraps
• They automatically work the compost materials into the soil by constantly scratching and pecking
• You can then use the resulting compost in your garden beds, or anywhere you need to improve the soil around your home

Other Benefits:

• No need to use plastic bags for food scraps (a benefit for the environment)
• Reduce the smells emerging from your trash containers
• Rumpke will require fewer round trips to the landfill (less traffic, eventual cost savings for the city)

# Chicken Experiment in the province of Limburg, Belgium

In 2009, residents of a few small Belgian towns near the Dutch border received three subsidized chickens for every interested household. Roughly 2,000 families opted-in for this homesteading experiment, and the first month alone reduced food waste to the local landfill by 100 tons. This novel idea has also cut methane emissions, which will improve both health and the environment.

As reported by the British publication independent.co.uk:

"We expect owners to look after them properly and provide a lot of reading material for them to go through," said Annick De Paepe, an official with the Limburg regional authority. "It's been a huge success, and it's proving ever more popular". She believes the boom has been fuelled by the recession. "There is very much a mood of getting back to nature right now and people love picking up their own eggs from the garden. But it's also a great way to cut down on household waste as the chickens will eat any leftovers and cut organic waste by half."