Reduce Waste at Home through Composting: Why 80% of Your Rubbish Never Needs to Leave Home

There's a quiet moment in my week that I've come to cherish - how I can reduce waste at home. Standing at my compost bin, watching steam rise from its dark, earthy depths as I empty in the day's kitchen scraps. Each deposit feels like a small act of faith in nature's cycles. It's a simple act, almost meditative. A banana peel, some wilted greens, and a crumpled paper napkin—all things commonly considered as rubbish, now transforming into something valuable.

This small ritual didn't always exist in my life. Like many, I used to treat waste as something to be whisked away, out of sight and out of mind. My bins were collected every other week, bound for somewhere "else"—a landfill, an incinerator. But somewhere along the way, I started to ask questions.

What is "away," really? And why does so much of what we call waste have to go there?

With recent bin collection disruptions across parts of the UK leaving rubbish piling up on streets, many of us are being forced to confront these questions. Those mountains of trash bags aren't just an inconvenience—they're a visual reminder of how dependent we've become on others managing our waste. But what if there's another way? What if most of what we discard never needed to leave our homes in the first place?

Understanding What We Throw Away

What actually fills our household bins?

It's a question many of us don't consider until we're staring at our overflowing rubbish. It started with my own bins. As I stood in front of them, sorting through the contents, I noticed patterns that made me pause. In addition to recyclable waste, the biggest source of waste was food packaging from supermarkets—unrecyclable cling film, wrappers, and containers. Then, it was the plastic packaging and wraps from Amazon. The remains are mostly broken plastic household items. It felt overwhelming to see how much of it added up, week after week.

This personal exploration mirrors a sobering reality: UK households generate 25.7 million tonnes of waste annually creating a significant strain on public waste systems and resources. Yet, over 80% of this waste has the potential to be managed at home through simple, thoughtful changes.

This potential has been recognised for decades. As far back as 2007, evidence presented to Parliament highlighted that "up to 80% of household waste can be composted or recycled," given proper sorting and processing. The persistence of this figure across multiple waste management studies over the years suggests this isn't a fleeting statistic but a consistent assessment of what's possible.

Why is so much household waste actually compostable?

The answer reveals surprising opportunities. While the UK government hasn't published the UK's national waste composition since 2017, a recent study by ReLondon in 2023 provides valuable insights:

• Food waste: 27%
• Paper and cardboard: 21%
• Plastics: 11%
• Garden waste: 6% (11% in suburban areas)
• Textiles: 3%
• Other materials: 11%
• Nappies and sanitary products: 5%
• Glass: 10%
• Metals: 3%
• Electronics: 1%

Reorganising these figures reveals two broad categories:

Organic, biodegradable waste: This includes food waste, paper and cardboard, garden waste, textiles*, some nappies and sanitary products (now available as home compostable alternatives)*, plastics (partially)*, and other materials (partially)*.

*Items marked with an asterisk can be sourced from natural materials.

Synthetic and other non-biodegradable waste: Glass, metals, electronics, and some of the other materials fall into this category.

The striking revelation is that nearly 60% of our household waste is organic material that could be composted at home today. A recent estimate for London found that 67% of kerbside refuse could be recycled or composted with optimal separation. When we include the potential shift from synthetic to natural materials, the figure approaches that 80% threshold—a dramatic reduction in what needs to be collected from the curb.

Can sustainable waste management work in any living situation?

Absolutely. While our detailed composting guide explores various methods for different living spaces, the principle remains the same. In contrast to industrial composting facilities, which can process certain bioplastics and treated materials, home composting focuses on truly biodegradable items. Research from UCL's "Big Compost Experiment" published in 2022 showed that many supposedly "compostable" plastics don't break down well in home compost conditions, highlighting the importance of natural materials in this approach.

For our 80% waste diversion scenario, we focus exclusively on truly home-compostable materials – those proven to rot in a simple heap or bin at ambient temperatures. These include kitchen and garden waste, paper and cardboard, natural fibre textiles, untreated wood, and some bio-based plastics that have passed home-compostability standards.

When I started viewing our household waste through this lens, it stopped looking like rubbish and started feeling like a puzzle—a search for ways to replace household items with natural materials that could eventually return to the earth. Composting became more than a solution; it became a meaningful step toward rethinking how we live and what we consume.

Rediscovering the Power of Natural Materials

Why do synthetic materials create unsolvable waste problems?

It's one of the most pressing environmental questions of our time. Modern products promise convenience, performance, and variety—but at what cost? Behind the allure of synthetic materials lies a darker truth: more trash, more toxins, and more harm to the environment and every being within it, humans included. The plastic problem isn't just about ocean pollution or landfills—it's about the constant flow of synthetic materials through our homes that can never truly decompose. According to the most recent analyses, less than 30% of the UK's post-consumer plastic waste is recycled in any given year,[8] meaning the remaining 70% is either burned in incinerators, buried in landfills, or worse, littered in the environment. For a deeper exploration of this issue, see our Plastic Trilogy series.

But it wasn't always this way. There was a time when the world thrived without synthetics, relying on materials borrowed from nature—wood, cotton, wool, and clay. These natural materials weren't just kinder to the planet; they often outperformed their synthetic counterparts in durability, functionality, and beauty.

Which materials should we choose to reduce waste at home?

The good news is that options abound. One reason so much waste ends up in the trash is the prevalence of plastics and other synthetics that do not biodegrade. However, for almost every common household product, there is a natural alternative. Consider packaging: instead of plastic wrappers and films, which make up around 11% of household waste, we now have options like paper wraps, cardboard containers, or innovative plant-based films that break down in a home compost. Our article on natural cleaning tools explores many practical swaps for your home.

Recent scientific studies have provided empirical evidence supporting the traditional understanding of natural materials' decomposition rates. Research published in Scientific Reports in 2025 examined the degradation of various nonwoven mulches over a 300-day period under field conditions. The study found that mulches made from natural cellulose fibers, such as jute, hemp, and viscose, exhibited significant structural breakdown during the exposure period. In contrast, mulches composed of polylactic acid (PLA), a commercial biodegradable plastic, showed minimal degradation, retaining much of their structural integrity throughout the same timeframe. These findings underscore the superior biodegradability of natural cellulose fabrics compared to certain biodegradable plastics. Furthermore, conventional plastics and polyester textiles are known to degrade minimally even after decades in landfill conditions, with estimated decomposition timeframes extending over centuries. The evidence is compelling: materials that evolved within nature's cycles return to those cycles efficiently, while synthetics remain environmental burdens for generations.

How do natural materials enhance our living environments?

The benefits extend far beyond waste reduction. Returning to natural materials offers real benefits. Wooden brushes, for example, last longer and feel sturdier than their plastic equivalents, their grain smoothing with use, developing a patina that tells the story of daily use. Hemp and linen fabrics breathe better and age gracefully, unlike synthetic blends that degrade into microplastics. Even common household items—sponges, storage containers, cleaning cloths—are all available in natural, compostable options that enrich the soil instead of polluting it.

Beyond food packaging, look around the home: cleaning cloths and sponges can be plant-based (cotton, loofah) rather than polyester; trash bags now come in home-compostable varieties; even toothbrushes are available with bamboo handles and bamboo or boar bristles. In each case, a synthetic plastic item that would persist for centuries can be swapped for a material that microbes and earthworms will happily consume. Our guide on Compostable Products: What Actually Breaks Down (And What Doesn’t) helps clarify which products truly return to nature.

Recognising the urgent need to address packaging waste, the UK Government has set a goal that all plastic packaging be recyclable, reusable, or compostable. This has spurred development of truly compostable packaging made from starches, cellulose, or plant fibres that can go straight into your compost bin after use.

Shifting back to natural materials transcends mere nostalgia or rejection of modern innovation. This movement represents a restoration of balance—one that honours nature's cycles while freeing us from the quiet anxiety that builds as plastic and synthetic waste accumulate in our homes. When we surround ourselves with materials that can safely return to the earth, we discover a lighter way of living that creates healthier home environments. Each choice of wood over plastic, cotton over polyester, or clay over synthetic polymers reduces our waste burden while bringing a sense of renewal to our spaces and lives.

Composting completes this cycle. It transforms items made from natural materials into nourishment for the earth, closing the loop in a way that feels intuitive and right. This shift starts with small, mindful choices—and natural materials are the foundation of the path.

Reclaiming Composting as a Natural Practice

How does home composting transform our relationship with waste?

It's a question with multiple compelling answers. Home composting has long been celebrated by gardeners as a way to enrich the soil and foster plant growth, yet it remains misunderstood by much of the general public. As we explain in our article on the science of home composting, misconceptions about it being messy, smelly, or complicated have cast a shadow over its role in our daily lives. But when bin collections falter or we grow tired of managing mountains of waste, composting reveals itself not as an eccentric hobby but as a practical necessity. Composting is not a burden—it is a missing link that reconnects our lifestyles to the natural world.

For centuries, composting was simply how life worked. What wasn't needed was returned to the earth, feeding the soil that nourished future growth. The loop was intact. But modern living has broken that cycle. Instead of viewing what we don't need anymore as a resource, we treat it as waste—something to discard rather than regenerate.

This shift has serious consequences. Biodegradable organic waste in landfills produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Since at least the early 2000s, the UK's Environment, Food & Rural Affairs Committee has emphasised biodegradable waste reduction as a priority specifically because of these climate-harming emissions. Home composting directly addresses this problem by diverting organics from landfills and preventing those emissions at the source.

What household items could you actually compost instead of trash?

Our detailed guide on what actually breaks down in compost explores this thoroughly, but the key insight is that home composting on a large scale would mean a lot less waste sent to municipal facilities. Diverting organics to compost not only cuts down landfill volume but also avoids those climate-harming emissions. The UK has recognised this in policy – biodegradable waste reduction is a priority because of its greenhouse gas impact when landfilled.

By bringing composting back into our lives, we restore this broken loop. Composting is a way of recognising our role in nature's cycles. It allows us to turn what we no longer need into something valuable: nourishment for the earth.

How can we make sustainable waste practices part of everyday life?

Not through perfection, but through progress, in my humble opinion. As we explore in our How Do You Make Compost, these practices don't have to be perfect or elaborate. It starts small: collecting food scraps, shredded paper, and garden trimmings. With the right tools, essential knowledge and a bit of care, it can become a seamless part of life—an antidote to the disconnection of modern living.

And the benefits extend beyond environmental impact. There's a particular satisfaction in watching your kitchen scraps transform into rich soil over time. There's independence in knowing that even if bin collections stop, your household can continue functioning. There's empowerment in taking responsibility for your own waste cycle rather than outsourcing it.

How does composting create a regenerative household ecosystem?

It's one of the most elegant examples of closing the resource loop. Perhaps the greatest advantage of a compost-at-home culture is that it closes the loop for materials that used to be considered "waste." Instead of a linear journey (product → use → bin → landfill), composting keeps resources circulating in an eco-friendly way. Kitchen scraps and yard debris become garden fertiliser; paper and compostable packaging turn into soil conditioner. This directly contributes to a circular economy and eases the burden on recycling systems and landfills.[21] This approach aligns perfectly with our Eco Rhythm philosophy of mindful consumption and responsible disposal.

Communities that embrace home composting also find they need fewer garbage collections, reducing municipal waste management costs and emissions from waste transport. If most homes composted diligently, the volume of black-bag "rubbish" would shrink dramatically—potentially to only 20% of its current size.

Welcome to The Puzzle

How can individual actions address global waste challenges?

Sometimes the answers to global problems begin at home. If you've read this far, maybe you're curious about what's possible. Maybe you've stood at your own bin, wondering if there's another way. Perhaps you've watched plastic pile up in your home, feeling powerless to stop its flow. Or maybe you've experienced the frustration of disrupted waste collections and thought: "There must be a better system." I want to invite you to take that first small step—whether it's composting your vegetable scraps or simply noticing what you throw away. When we put our minds on the challenges, we can always come up with a few good and practical ideas.

The data is compelling: with a shift to natural, home-compostable materials, the majority of household waste in the UK could be diverted from landfill and incineration. On the order of three-quarters (and potentially as high as 80%) of our everyday discards can safely decompose in a home compost bin.[22] Achieving this would require changes – from manufacturers offering more truly compostable products to consumers adopting composting habits – but the payoff is a significant dent in the waste and plastic pollution crisis.

Every journey begins with a question. For me, it was: What is "away"? For you, it might be something different. Wherever it starts, the important thing is to begin. My journey of home composting has been a couple of years, and my journey with Echoing Green has just started. No one has a concrete answer or solution to the environmental problems we collectively face now, but we need more people to put their hands on their words. This is how my journey begins.