DENVER -- Food scraps, biodegradable cups and sandwich boxes from the Democratic National Convention could someday be used to fertilize lawns and gardens.

Tons of trash generated from DNC cocktail parties and meetings at the Pepsi Center and other venues are being turned into compost at a site about 40 miles northeast of Denver. It's a key part of the Democratic National Convention Committee's plan to limit convention trash to just 15 percent of the waste stream sent to landfills.

The aim is to extend the life of landfills and cut the amount of methane, a greenhouse gas, they produce.

"It's hugely important," said Parry Burnap, director of greening for the convention host committee. "Compost has value in terms of restoring the health of the soil and because there is a carbon sequestration value."

The DNC used cups made of cornstarch, not petroleum products, so they would be able to break down into compost. Instead of Styrofoam, containers for food sold at the Pepsi Center during the DNC were made up of biodegradable cardboard.

Composting happens as soil heats up and the material in it decomposes. The DNC trash isn't expected to be fully composted until December.

The work is being done by A1 Organics, which has been composting for Whole Foods Markets for years.

"If it once grew, it can be composted," said Tom Lincoln, A1's education director. "It happens in nature all the time. We just speed it up."

Lincoln said about 60 percent of the trash that ends up in landfills could have been composted.

Since being hired to compost the DNC, A1 said it has also been hired by downtown's Westin Hotel and Tabor Center and the Grand Hyatt.

Organizers set out to have the greenest Democratic National Convention in history. From selling carbon offsets, to using alternative fuel vehicles, to organizing bikes for delegates, organizers made a comprehensive effort to "green" the convention.