For now, let’s leave alone plastic waste and recycling, and instead concentrate on the impact of the organic waste. As you throw away food leftovers, they do not disappear. They are collected and sent to landfills or areas of waste deposit. In landfills, the organic waste is put layer upon layer in a dug hole until it’s filled, to be eventually buried and reclaimed.
When food starts to decompose, it starts releasing two of the major greenhouse gases – carbon dioxide and methane.
The first one is released when rotting happens in the open air – carbon (which is present in everything) gets released and combines with oxygen to form carbon dioxide (CO2).
Methane emission is a result of organisms decomposing organic waste on which they feed. The amount of released greenhouse gases increases with the increase of waste deposited in landfills. Hence, the less organic waste is thrown away, the less impact it produces on the climate.