The Santa Barbara County Public Works Department supports alternatives to throwing food scraps and yard waste into your trash; which will currently be landfilled. Sam Dickinson, Program Specialist with the Department, explains that, "When you compost at home, leftover food scraps and plant materials are naturally recycled into nutrient-rich compost for your garden - keeping valuable resources out of the landfill." This is a great way for you to reduce your environmental impact. Organics that enter landfills release potent methane gas, which negatively contributes to climate change.