Three actions that businesses and citizens can take to protect biodiversity

Biodiversity is not just the wildlife and nature that you can see — it is also the small microorganisms within the soil that play a big part in the health of the entire ecosystem.

With this, it is clear that a healthy, biodiverse ecosystem supports our own health by providing clean air, water and quality food.

Sunday, 22 May is International Day for Biological Diversity, which is focused on highlighting the importance of biodiversity — especially for a sustainable future. 

In recognition of taking action toward protecting biodiversity, here are three actions that businesses and citizens can take to protect biodiversity:

1. Diverting food and organic waste from landfills

South Africa is still very reliant on landfills to dispose of our general waste streams. With food and organic waste, the best way to divert this stream is to compost it. We have the composting technology readily available to divert food and organic waste from landfills.

By diverting organic waste, we can reduce our reliance on landfills and prevent the need to extend existing sites that may disrupt or impact the surrounding environment and biodiversity.

Clearing land to create more landfill space is becoming more prominent nowadays as many of our landfills in South Africa are approaching their capacity. This type of land conversion will only exacerbate the existing environmental impacts of a landfill site.

As many of our landfill sites approach capacity, we need to adopt waste diversion technologies on-site. Alternative waste treatment technology, like composting units, allows a facility to circulate organic waste — creating high-grade compost that can be used on-site or at a nearby garden or farm.

It is an ideal model that circulates organic waste all within a local or regional area instead of having to transport it over distances for final disposal.

2. Recycling carbon through waste

Emulating the natural functioning of an ecosystem and biodiversity, all waste is reused or recirculated as a resource. Everything is recycled. By composting food and organic waste, we are recycling carbon, one of the most important elements for life, right with oxygen.

Organic waste breaks down and carbon is stored within the soil content. In soil, carbon helps with water retention and soil fertility and, ultimately, plant growth.

Improved plant growth and health will convert more atmospheric carbon dioxide into oxygen. By composting, we restore carbon in soil. Healthy soil bodies are crucial in supporting great ecosystems.

3. Looking after our soil with essential nutrients

It's not just carbon that composting our food waste will provide our soils with. Our food waste is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium — three elements that promote healthy plant growth.

Most synthetic fertilisers contain these three elements; however, one of the elements used in excess in fertilisers can run off into waterways to cause algae blooms. Algae blooms is a common environmental impact of agricultural fertilisers that adversely impacts the local biodiversity — especially in wetlands and rivers.

An algae bloom will decrease the level of oxygen in a water body and eliminate the aquatic species that rely on that water source. Using compost, the chances of agricultural run-off from excess nutrients is a less likely occurrence.

For more information, visit www.biobin.co.za. You can also follow BiobiN South Africa on Facebook.