Can You Compost Your Uneaten Pizza Crust?

In this article, we answer the question: can you compost your uneaten pizza crust? We also go over the basic composting method and discuss the best method for composting the pizza crusts. We also list some benefits of composting pizza crusts rather than recycling them

Can You Compost Your Uneaten Pizza Crust? 

Yes, it is perfectly okay to compost your leftover or uneaten pizza crusts. Composting is actually a better option than putting the pizza in the recycle bin. However, one must be careful when putting pizza in the compost. Since pizza contains organic matter, it can cause some problems.

Make sure that only the crust part is being put in the compost. The sauces and other ingredients of the pizza can cause nuisance and discomfort as they can attract pests and rodents. If you are not worried about these issues then you can put other parts of the pizza in the compost as well.

How to compost pizza crust? 

Pizza can be composted like any other compost item. If you have a compost bin then you can just toss the leftover pizza crust into the bin. If you compost through a community or council-run bin, then make sure that the administration allows pizza crusts as items of compost.

Special precautions should be taken if you are composting whole pizza. To mask the scent of ingredients, pizza should be covered with a lot of green leaves, vegetables, or fruit peel. This will prevent pests and insects from being attracted to the pizza. 

What are different methods for composting? 

There are various methods used for composting. They have their own merits and demerits. Some are better for compositing organic matter, some are not. The three most popular methods are as follows:

  • Aerobic composting
  • Anaerobic composting
  • Vermicomposting 

Aerobic composting, as the name suggests, uses oxygen or air to fasten the composting process. It involves repetitive watering and mixing of compost contents. 

Anaerobic composting doesn’t require oxygen. It involves simply mixing the scraps and leaving them to decompose. This method should not be tried on your own. 

Vermicomposting is a different method that involves the use of worms, moisture, and oxygen. The best method for composting pizza crust is discussed below.

What is the best method of composting pizza crust? 

The best method to compost pizza is vermicomposting. As discussed above, vermicomposting utilizes worms, moisture, and oxygen to break down the compost. This method can break down organic matter as well. Red worms are most commonly used for vermicomposting.

For this method, you will need two buckets: one for the compost and one for draining water from the compost. The compost bucket has holes drilled and is placed inside the other buckets. 

The outer bucket will collect the water drained from the compost and needs to be emptied when necessary. Removing posture will help the worms in the composting process. 

Click to know more about composting pizza.

What are the benefits of composting pizza crusts? 

Composting pizza crusts prevents them from ending up in a landfill. Such items can be composted but are not over-burden at the landfill sites for no reason. Therefore, it is better to compost your leftover pizza from an environmental point of view.

The pizza crust is made of flour. The four inside the crusts help to maintain the pH level of the soil and help in making it nutrient-rich and hence promoting the healthy growth of plants. It also prevents the emission of greenhouse gasses which are extremely harmful to the environment.

Why is composting pizza better than recycling?

Pizza should be composted instead of recycled. Recycling plants are not designed to take in organic matter. They don’t have enough oxygen access to promote appropriate decomposition of the organic matter in pizza. 

This results in an anaerobic breakdown which releases methane, a harmful gas to the environment. 

Moreover, the pizza crust is greasy from all the pizza ingredients. This causes contamination of the recycling products. 

If pizza grease interacts with any form of paper product in the recycling plant, it renders it useless because if there is any form of oil or grease on the paper, it cannot be recycled.

Other FAQs about Pizza that you may be interested in.

Can you eat pizza without cheese?

Can you eat pizza without a gallbladder?

Can you eat pizza sauce without cooking it?

Conclusion

In this article, we discussed whether pizza crust can be composted or not? We also went over the most popular composting methods and determined the one that works best for the pizza crust. We also shed some light on the benefits of composting pizza.

References

https://composthq.com/composting/composting-leftover-pizza-all-you-need-to-know/

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