Posts Tagged ‘composting’

The merits to Community Composting

Saturday, December 31st, 2011

Working together as a community helps to accomplish a variety of undertakings. Just like what happens with a Community composting program. Community composting creates not only an environmental awareness. It also fosters a bond between groups of people who continuously pushes for the betterment of their neighborhood.

What to expect from community composting

Typically, most communities will be provided by their respective cities with sturdy containers that will be used for storing compost materials. The compost bin is where a selection of kitchen and yard wastes will be deposited and contained. It basically turns into a storage unit, which helps create an organic resource thereafter. Now, as soon as the process is done (when the finished compost is ready for harvesting), the bin will then be emptied and delivered to a community compost facility.

8,000 Calgary residences try out community composting

Calgary city recently started a pilot project that helped introduce the ways to creating organic compost. Almost 8,000 residences (all residing within Abbeydale, Brentwood, Cougar Ridge, and Southwood) have been given their own free composters in the form of kitchen pails with liners. Compostable yard bags, carts, and other written information were also made available to homeowners who may have questions about the compost production process, pick-up schedules, etc.  The city director of waste and recycling, Dave Griffiths is routing for some good feedback on the project, in hopes that the program will also be a positive one.

More on the Calgary Community Composting program

The city has invested a lot of money. $1.3 million has been allotted to be exact. This already includes the pick-up and collection of compost from communities to the compost facilities (by means of city trucks), the purchase of composters, contracts and campaigns, and so on. Now the residents have not been charged with anything. All they are asked for is to participate in the project, and to help make things happen. Green waste is not a problem. Such projects can encourage groups of people to collect green wastes; and to see such a program as a chance to reap out valuable resources out of it.

Composting green waste at home

The organic refuse that is accumulated daily (typical household trimmings and food scraps) can be composted. Now biodegradable refuse can be made not only into compost, but as mulch as well. But other than that, organic compost can also be used as a plant fertilizer and as a soil amendment (has a good mixture of essential nutrients such as nitrogen and carbon). Composting can actually help create an organic product that will help plants to develop and to increase in yield. It can also aid in improving a worn out soil to spring back to a healthier condition. Soils that have been badly damaged but have been nourished with compost will be able to show improvements in its ability to retain more moisture and nutrients into its system. A healthy soil will also be able to protect plant roots from being rigged by potential diseases.

Benefits of Piggery Composting

Wednesday, December 28th, 2011

Composting has its many forms. As nature has its ways of making organic refuse into something that can be reused again. Even compost worms are made capable of converting natural wastes into an organic resource that can be both used to supplement garden plants or even farm soils. But one of the most remarkable discovery’s today would be Piggery composting. Pigs have been described to be the ideal cultivators.

Why are pigs considered the ultimate cultivators?
Having a few pigs, or a swine farm at that would be advantageous on your end. Pigs are capable of plowing and turning the earth (pigs even dig into the soil using just their noses), and rooting up weeds. These farm animals will dig beds for you, while they excrete their nutrient rich humus on your farms soils. Just as long as they’re confined in a spacious pen, they will be able to work and move productively on your specified areas.
Pigs love to eat!
Pigs love to eat fresh soil that has been nourished with organic humus (the best kind of soil would be from the areas that aren’t polluted, like the mountains for instance). It’s actually good for their health. So the lesser chemicals there are in the soil, the better health’s these pigs will have. But not only are hogs into consuming fresh dirt. They are also into eating grass, grass roots, tree roots, and a few other organic refuse such as wood, piles of cattle or horse manure. Now the consumption of these natural materials will eventually be excreted into a rich black soil. It’s just like how compost worms do it after a few months of breaking down kitchen scraps and garden wastes. Other than that, the organic matter that the pigs have composted will also contain a rich supply of live microbes. These live microorganisms can also be made into a good food source for the boars.
The value in biosecurity when composting with pigs
Whether it’s potentially acquiring something that is bacterial, fungal, parasitic, or viral, protecting agricultural animals from these should always be a priority when managing any type of farm. It is for each and everyone’s safety; and that’s why having biosecurity is important. It’s a system that helps protect animals such as pigs from different forms of contagious means (a good example of an outbreak would be swine flu). Aside from these, you can also reinforce your farms’ biosecurity by putting up proper signage for areas that are off-limits. You can also require your personnel and visitors to always wear protective gears such as cleans boots and coveralls when moving on to different locations.
How to keep your swine farm protected through composting
Using pigs to produce organic compost can already help wipe out some of the potential disease epidemics that can be acquired from the farm vicinity. The diseases that can be procured from other farming methods (such as the use of rendering trucks, fuel trucks or other foreign vehicles being entered on farming grounds, etc.) can be eliminated even just through composting with pigs.

Composting has its many forms. As nature has its ways of making organic refuse into something that can be reused again. Even compost worms are made capable of converting natural wastes into an organic resource that can be both used to supplement garden plants or even farm soils. But one of the most remarkable discovery’s today would be Piggery composting. Pigs have been described to be the ideal cultivators.

Why are pigs considered the ultimate cultivators?

Having a few pigs, or a swine farm at that would be advantageous on your end. Pigs are capable of plowing and turning the earth (pigs even dig into the soil using just their noses), and rooting up weeds. These farm animals will dig beds for you, while they excrete their nutrient rich humus on your farms soils. Just as long as they’re confined in a spacious pen, they will be able to work and move productively on your specified areas.

Pigs love to eat!

Pigs love to eat fresh soil that has been nourished with organic humus (the best kind of soil would be from the areas that aren’t polluted, like the mountains for instance). It’s actually good for their health. So the lesser chemicals there are in the soil, the better health’s these pigs will have. But not only are hogs into consuming fresh dirt. They are also into eating grass, grass roots, tree roots, and a few other organic refuse such as wood, piles of cattle or horse manure. Now the consumption of these natural materials will eventually be excreted into a rich black soil. It’s just like how compost worms do it after a few months of breaking down kitchen scraps and garden wastes. Other than that, the organic matter that the pigs have composted will also contain a rich supply of live microbes. These live microorganisms can also be made into a good food source for the boars.

The value in biosecurity when composting with pigs

Whether it’s potentially acquiring something that is bacterial, fungal, parasitic, or viral, protecting agricultural animals from these should always be a priority when managing any type of farm. It is for each and everyone’s safety; and that’s why having biosecurity is important. It’s a system that helps protect animals such as pigs from different forms of contagious means (a good example of an outbreak would be swine flu). Aside from these, you can also reinforce your farms’ biosecurity by putting up proper signage for areas that are off-limits. You can also require your personnel and visitors to always wear protective gears such as cleans boots and coveralls when moving on to different locations.

How to keep your swine farm protected through composting

Using pigs to produce organic compost can already help wipe out some of the potential disease epidemics that can be acquired from the farm vicinity. The diseases that can be procured from other farming methods (such as the use of rendering trucks, fuel trucks or other foreign vehicles being entered on farming grounds, etc.) can be eliminated even just through composting with pigs.

Ingredients that are Good for your Compost

Sunday, December 25th, 2011

The act of composting not only produces the richest kind of fertilizer known to date. It is also a natural process that aids in keeping the earth a garbage-less place. Now, compost only becomes nutrient-packed solely for the reason that the ingredients used for creating it are all organic materials. This composting by-product contains natural matter that is filled with nitrogen, carbon, and several other nutrients and elements.

Microbes thrive on compost
The production of compost can either be done through plain composting or by means of vermicomposting (creates compost with the help of red worms). Either way the creation of compost is predominantly done by live microbes. They are in fact, the ones that are mainly responsible for breaking down decaying organic substances. Now, live microorganisms thrive abundantly in a system that includes the most important of elements. Other than their need for nitrogen and carbon-rich materials, microbes also require oxygen, heat, and moisture to be able to work productively.
Compost ingredients that are high in nitrogen
Compost is mainly composed of a balance of nitrogen and carbon rich matter; and a balanced mixture aids in the microorganisms proper breakdown of organic scraps. Moreover, the addition of water into the mix also helps expedite the process of decomposition. But other than that, organic wastes that are high in nitrogen are typically green in shade. These items are mostly high in protein, amino acids, nucleic acids, and enzymes; and are typically composed of green tree leaves, weeds, grass clippings, plant cuttings, (can also be collected from your backyard, garden), fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds (an exception to color), and the like. Now, for an additional fact: if there isn’t enough nitrogen in the compost system, the process will have a slower turnover.
Compost ingredients that are high in carbon
Carbon-packed organic scraps are actually those that are dry and brown in color. These can be in the form of dead leaves (autumn leaves can be a good example), twigs or bark, sawdust or woodchips, straw, mixed paper (composting worms love gorging on newspapers and corrugated cardboards), and so on.
The importance of heat, oxygen, and moisture in a composting system
For you to be able to create a nutrient-packed compost, you will also need to incorporate heat, oxygen, and moisture. Even if you’ve got an abundant supply of nitrogen and carbon materials, you will still need these three other components to be able to harvest a well-converted finished product. Heat is necessary when composting as this keeps the beneficial organisms from dying. Oxygen on the other hand helps speed up the process. Then again, a compost system may also go without it. The only setback to this would be a slow down in the process as well as the creation of smelly odors. Other than that, moisture is also a key element. The best consistency for your system is actually that of a wrung out sponge.
GardenWorms.com recommends offering your compost a balance of nutrients
Providing your compost with a balanced mix of nutrients, such as those that are high in nitrogen and carbon, will help you reap a wholesome finished product. So collect all of the ‘greens’ and ‘browns’ that can be gathered from your kitchen and yard, and start composting these today!
To know more about offering your compost a balance of nutrients, check theadvertiser.com here.

The act of composting not only produces the richest kind of fertilizer known to date. It is also a natural process that aids in keeping the earth a garbage-less place. Now, compost only becomes nutrient-packed solely for the reason that the ingredients used for creating it are all organic materials. This composting by-product contains natural matter that is filled with nitrogen, carbon, and several other nutrients and elements.

Microbes thrive on compost

The production of compost can either be done through plain composting or by means of vermicomposting (creates compost with the help of red worms). Either way the creation of compost is predominantly done by live microbes. They are in fact, the ones that are mainly responsible for breaking down decaying organic substances. Now, live microorganisms thrive abundantly in a system that includes the most important of elements. Other than their need for nitrogen and carbon-rich materials, microbes also require oxygen, heat, and moisture to be able to work productively.

Compost ingredients that are high in nitrogen

Compost is mainly composed of a balance of nitrogen and carbon rich matter; and a balanced mixture aids in the microorganisms proper breakdown of organic scraps. Moreover, the addition of water into the mix also helps expedite the process of decomposition. But other than that, organic wastes that are high in nitrogen are typically green in shade. These items are mostly high in protein, amino acids, nucleic acids, and enzymes; and are typically composed of green tree leaves, weeds, grass clippings, plant cuttings, (can also be collected from your backyard, garden), fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds (an exception to color), and the like. Now, for an additional fact: if there isn’t enough nitrogen in the compost system, the process will have a slower turnover.

Compost ingredients that are high in carbon

Carbon-packed organic scraps are actually those that are dry and brown in color. These can be in the form of dead leaves (autumn leaves can be a good example), twigs or bark, sawdust or woodchips, straw, mixed paper (composting worms love gorging on newspapers and corrugated cardboards), and so on.

The importance of heat, oxygen, and moisture in a composting system

For you to be able to create a nutrient-packed compost, you will also need to incorporate heat, oxygen, and moisture. Even if you’ve got an abundant supply of nitrogen and carbon materials, you will still need these three other components to be able to harvest a well-converted finished product. Heat is necessary when composting as this keeps the beneficial organisms from dying. Oxygen on the other hand helps speed up the process. Then again, a compost system may also go without it. The only setback to this would be a slow down in the process as well as the creation of smelly odors. Other than that, moisture is also a key element. The best consistency for your system is actually that of a wrung out sponge.

GardenWorms.com recommends offering your compost a balance of nutrients

Providing your compost with a balanced mix of nutrients, such as those that are high in nitrogen and carbon, will help you reap a wholesome finished product. So collect all of the ‘greens’ and ‘browns’ that can be gathered from your kitchen and yard, and start composting these today!

Question: How to Get to your “Done” Compost?

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

You’ve been layering your greens and brown organic material into your compost bin for months. The pH is perfect, the temperature is consistent and the worms are happily munching away making that loamy, rich compost you’re doing all this for. Now what? You top layers are full of the stuff you just dumped in, and you have no idea how to get to that compost at the bottom without mucking up your perfectly-placed layers.

Don’t forget the other important step of composting. Turning your bin. No, we don’t mean the bin itself, but those layers of materials that you have so painstakingly accumulated from your yard and kitchen scraps.

To turn your compost to get to the done, or even almost done, compost, take a pitchfork and stick in down low in the bin and turn the mass over, flip it bottom to top. Keep doing that until you have access to the bulk of your bottom materials and remove. You can let the compost continue to season in a corner or your garden or yard until the consistency is that of soil.

Another option is to buy a compost bin that flips over, so you can remove your compost from the bin with little effort, and less disturbance to your layers. The Urban Composter is just such a model.

Remember, keep turning that mass until you can get to the compost you want. Then leave the rest and continue on layering your way to rich compost for your yard and garden.

Delicious Uses for Compost: More Companies Take the Waste from Restaurants

Monday, April 25th, 2011

Think of all the times you left remainders of your meal on your plate at a restaurant, and multiply that by all the people that go out to eat every day and what do you see? That’s right, piles and pounds of food scraps. Where do they normally end up? That’s right – in your local dumpsite. Did you know that the gases given off by food scraps can be as harmful to the ozone layer as those given off by our cars?

Thankfully, a recent trend is making better use of all that food waste, to the betterment of our environment. In a recent article by The Associated Press on USAToday.com, restaurants are finding a way to save money and the environment at the same time, by composting local restaurant food scraps.

“’ The restaurant business is an incredibly wasteful business,” says Peter Egelston, owner of PortsmouthBrewery restaurant in Portsmouth, N.H. “We generally put more food in front of people than they can eat in one sitting. If it’s not going home in a doggie bag, it seems like we should send it where it will have new life.’

Two years ago Egelston’s brewery began composting with the help of EcoMovement, a company that hauls food waste from about 40 restaurants in the region and takes it to be composted.

Composting — a natural process in which food and other organic scraps are decomposed into fertile soil — has long been a mainstay of farms and backyards. But few restaurants have the space or time to compost their own waste. They typically pay to have it disposed of in landfills along with the rest of their trash.

But as communities have struggled to reduce their waste, pressure has mounted on the restaurant industry to do its part.

‘A few things changed,” says Michael Oshman, CEO of the Green Restaurant Association. “Cities in California passed laws requiring some level of waste reduction. To attack waste reduction without looking at food is like having a heart patient come in to the doctor and not talk to them about exercise and diet. So cities like San Francisco begin composting. They demonstrate it’s doable and others follow their lead.’

San Francisco began a pilot composting program in 1996, which quickly expanded. In 2001, officials made composting available city-wide on a voluntary basis; it became mandatory in 2009, including for the city’s more than 5,000 restaurants. Since 1996, the city has composted more than 835,000 tons of food scraps.

Since then, other cities — including Seattle — have passed similar laws that mandate composting. But desire isn’t enough. To compost, you either need to have a place to put food waste — and the time to tend to it — or arrange for it to be taken to a farm or composting facility.”

Read the entire article here.

As the trends towards commercial-level composting continues to grow, the reality that the progress needs to continue really begins to settle in. The adoption of compost as a way to manage most of our yard and food waste is really the only answer to the exceptional amount of garbage we create all over the planet if we want to slow down the climate change issues we are facing.

Managing the Details of Bulk Composting: The “Sweet” Smell of Eco-Friendly Success

Wednesday, April 20th, 2011

In a recent article from The Virginia Pilot, a local waste management company has found a solution to the odorous, if planet-friendly problem of composting yard waste for multiple communities. As anyone with a compost bin knows, the smell of organic materials being processed can be unpalatable to some, but no different than the smell of a local farm , and certainly not as pungent as a dump site.

That being said, communities in the Norfolk, VA region recently saw a change in the chain of command of their community composting efforts when their previous vendor, the Southeastern Public Service Authority, was replaced with a private company, McGill Environmental Systems when SPSA stepped down due to complaints about fees and their practice of burying the waste into a local landfill in lieu of composting it.

According to the article, “The company, based in North Carolina and with operations in Ireland, now handles yard waste from Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Isle of Wight County, as well as organic waste from clients including Smithfield Foods, Birdsong Peanuts, Lipton Tea, Wal-Mart, Anheuser-Busch, the Virginia Beach Convention Center and the College of William and Mary.”

“Broom was surprised by how Virginia – and the United States in general – has not embraced composting the way Europe has.

“Composting has the potential to recycle 70 percent of the world’s wastes,” he says, “but we somehow don’t do it.”

Finding a location for a new compost center is usually difficult – except here, where there were no neighbors to contest plans and worry about odors, and because Sussex County welcomed a new, tax-paying business within its borders.

In Ireland, where McGill’s president, Noel Lyons, hails from, composting is done entirely indoors – to control smells and because open land is so scare.

“We could never do in Ireland what we do here,” Broom says.

The McGill facility in Waverly contains indoor and outdoor curing areas, and today it generates about 175,000 tons of compost a year, according to company literature.

Broom says the company’s “secret weapon” is a labyrinth of underground pipes beneath the indoor facility that blows air into stewing piles of organic material, all alive with microscopic growth that is so active that it creates heat (hence, all the steam).”

The move towards public composting continues as private companies like McGill Environmental Systems continue to turn the waste management industry towards ecologically-friendly practices. It is the effort of companies like this that will make composting a norm and not an anomaly across the US.

CNBC on Composting: Composting Tips and Hints

Friday, April 15th, 2011

In a recent article, CNBC Covered benefits and tips for composting. Here’s a highlight:

“Compost not only adds important nutrients and beneficial bacteria to soil, it recycles waste, reducing pollution and ground water contamination,” says Kathy Woodard, editor of TheGardenGlove.com, a website that offers budget gardening advice.”

“Kevin Measel, vice president of merchandising for nursery for Lowe’s Cos., says the compost system you’ll need will depend on your household’s size and eating habits. For a family of four that regularly prepares fresh vegetables, he suggests a tumbler that spins the compost to add air; they’re approximately 7 cubic feet, less than 2 by 2 by 2. Make sure to let your compost mature, which Measel says can take as little as a month or as long as a year, depending how much you work the material.”

The time is now to get your own compost bin ready. Check out “Start Composting with Uncle Jim” for the steps you need to begin your composting efforts.

Take stock of your families eating habits to decide what size compost bin you need. Remember, even if you live in an apartment, you can still compost your food scraps with an indoor compost bin.

More Earth Day Compost Events around the Country

Thursday, April 14th, 2011

April 16, 2011 – “Earthfest” in Knoxville Tennessee. Free admission to an event promoting ecological awareness and practices, including composting. See the flyer here.

April 16 & 17, 2011 – Earth Day Festival in Colorado Springs, Colorado, The Denver Museum of Nature & History and University of Colorado campus are just some of the events throughout Denver. See the full schedule here.

April 23, 2011 – 7AM- 10AM – Compost Giveaway  for the towns of Cities of Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Laguna Hills, Rancho, Santa Margarita, and Laguna Niguel at SOKA University, California. See the flyer here.

April 23, 2011 – Macon, Georgia is offering presentations and speakers on a multitude of topics, including compost and composting, for their weekend-long Earth day festivities. Get the schedule here.

Don’t see Earth Day composting events listed in your community? Call your local parks and recreation department and find out what your community is doing to promote Earth Day.

Have a Compost Party!

Monday, April 11th, 2011

The smoky smell of a barbecue pit, the clanging of horseshoes being thrown, rows of cars parked along streets, the time is soon approaching when the spring and summer barbecues will take over your weekend schedule. While you plan your next festivities for family and friends, try and keep in mind how you can be eco-minded and make your party a party for your compost bin and the environment as well!

Getting Ready

Planning on a last minute grass cutting session? Need to prune your hedges to impress your guests?  Those great green materials can layer in with your compost nicely.

Paper or Plastic?

Paper plates and cups make the perfect choice for serving your outdoor barbecue fare, at least from a compost standpoint. To make things easy for your guests, place a trash can labeled PAPER in an easy to access spot so all of that paper waste ends up in the right place.

Full?

Sometimes people find that their eyes are really bigger than their bellies when eating at a party.  Remind your guests that you’re compost bin can handle many of their food scraps, all except for

  • Meat
  • Fish and Poultry
  • Cheese
  • Oily foods (may-based salads for example)
  • Butter
  • Other animal products

Having another easy-to-spot trash bin labeled “vegetable scraps” would be a nice way to harvest these remainders and relieve you of any plat scraping.

Enjoy the coming months’ outdoor festivities but your compost practices need not fail with the extra scraps. Use the party to your advantage to increase your composting efforts.

Chemical Fertilizers VS. Compost

Saturday, April 9th, 2011

It’s not quite as old as the dispute over the chicken or the egg, but the argument over chemical fertilizers vs. compost does rage on, between those eco-minded members of the community like ourselves and those that go the more conventional, and harmful route. (Hope we don’t seem to biased)

To be frank, there are four very real facts that should drive anyone away from the harmful-if-colorful chemical fertilizers when the time comes to feed their lawn.

  • Compost is organic so it won’t burn your grass if you accidentally apply too much at one time.
  • Compost is organic so it won’t stain your driveway or brick work that borders your lawn.
  • Compost is organic so it won’t give off a chemical smell.
  • Compost is organic so it is easily, and naturally, absorbed into the soil to feed your lawn quickly.

Now back away from the pink or blue bags and get to composting.