I recently heard someone say “Waste is a not a noun, waste is a verb”. This came up during a discussion about the semantics of food scraps and other organic materials that can be composted. Referring to them as waste implies they are of little or no value. If we find another name for them, well, folks might be more likely to find an appropriate place for them.

How do we move away from referring to organic matter as something without value or even a lability? Disassociating organic materials from words like waste, rubbish, trash, and garbage is a start. But then what do we call it?

Scraps (as in food scraps) – This word doesn’t imply something of value, but rather the remnants from some other process. This concept isn’t highly regarded in our society. For example, in my house the dinner leftovers (that nobody wants to eat but knows they should) are affectionately called scraps. Scraps does not express the real potential for these materials.

Nutrients – While compost does provide nutrients, it also provides organic matter and improves soil structure. The word nutrients doesn’t capture all the benefits of turning organic matter into compost.

Organics – To many, the word “organic” means something like “grown without pesticide”, but when we talk about organics in composting we mean a substance containing carbon-carbon bonds that is is capable of being broken down by microbes. There’s too much potential confusion here given that the former “organic” is a household word.

Compostables – This would be ok by me, but some people confuse “compostable” with “combustable”. Trust me, it happens. Besides, not all materials need to be composted to be useful to another plant or animal. The chicken, pig, and dog owners out there can attest to this.

Resources – Although not specific to composting, this word suggests we best utilize what we have to achieve some benefit. This one gets to the heart of the matter. Last year, the EPA Office of Solid Waste changed its name to the Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery. Hopefully this one will catch.

Sending our resources to the landfill is not a way to get rid of waste (noun). Rather, it is is the process of wasting (verb) something that could be used by someone or something else.