The pros and cons of composting — or not

Yesterday, Spotify recommended to me a podcast addressing the question, "Is composting worth it?" I was delighted and excited. What an interesting question! 

My family and I do not compost, but we've been considering it. You might say we are composting-curious.

While there is no doubt in our minds that composting is good for the environment, I wondered whether we would make enough of an impact to justify the cost, time commitment and inconveniences of the practice.

So a podcast asking "Is composting worth it?" seemed right on the nose. To be sure, it's a complicated question. Composting helps keep greenhouse gases out of the air, but how can you possibly measure how much carbon is sequestered or methane not released due to the actions of a single household? And even if you can figure that out, how do you determine how much that one household is doing to limit climate change?

On the other side, you would have to consider the cost of buying composting supplies like bins, buckets, even odor-preventing products. You would have to somehow measure the loss of a portion of your home's space for composting. Then there's the time commitment to separate and handle compostable items and perhaps even drive your material to a drop-off spot (and remember that driving itself releases greenhouse gases).  

Most of these elements will be small, but they're not zero either. And they vary greatly from household to household.

Still, the complications of the cost-benefit analysis made the question of whether composting is worth it all the more intriguing. I could imagine a podcast like Freakonomics breaking down the question to various parts, interviewing economists, scientists and other experts for thoughtful dissection.

Alas, this podcast was not Freakonomics. It was something called the "Anti-Dread Climate Podcast" and, boy, was it a huge disappointment.

First, just 53 seconds into the podcast the two giggling hosts announce, without explanation, that composting is "totally" worth it. This is even before they've introduced the listener who actually asks the question about composting's worth.

The show goes on to interview a composting advocate who —  surprise — also says that composting is worth it. The show shifts to a discussion of the mechanics of composting, but never even slightly considers how to weigh the benefits against the costs. 

They should have just called the episode, "Composting is great."