Earth Matters, Apr 06

Organic Gold
Composting turns household waste into a valuable resource.

By Lauren Tepper

    Your mom might have taught you the value of being thrifty, but Mother Nature really knows a thing or two about saving. Think about it: Autumn leaves and dead branches fall, returning precious nutrients to the soil. In the spring new life arises from last season’s decay—completing a perfect cycle of environmental economy.
    Unfortunately, in today’s world of manicured lawns and urban living, yard waste and food scraps are commonly carted away and disposed of as trash, thwarting this design. Landfills, which are engineered to isolate garbage from surrounding soils and water supplies, prevent the natural breakdown of organic materials, removing valuable nourishment from the environment.
    The average American produces one to four pounds of organic material per day, according to Jean Bonhotal, senior extension associate for Cornell University’s Waste Management Institute. This waste can be hauled off at great expense and energy cost, or it can be recycled through a simple, money-saving, natural process that has existed since the beginning of time—composting.
    Compost, otherwise known as black gold due to its rich nutrient density and dark color, is simply decomposing organic material. It has a pleasant, earthy smell similar to potting soil and a crumbly texture. Anything that had once been alive can be turned into compost. It requires only three crucial ingredients: air, water and microorganisms. Bacteria, fungi, worms and other teeny critters eat organic materials, and their metabolic waste yields nutrients that are then available for re-use in the environment. Compost makes great garden fertilizer or mulch, and can be mixed with soil for potted plants—the ultimate in recycling.
    “We’ve been composting our kitchen scraps and yard waste for years, and I can’t imagine just throwing the stuff away,” says Lisa Janya, a graphic designer from Cedarville, Michigan. “I love the fact that flowers will grow out of this year’s garbage.”
    Composting happens on its own if organic substances break down naturally. The image of rotting garbage in one’s backyard or kitchen, however, is understandably unpalatable. What many people don’t realize is that they can easily create the conditions necessary for organic matter to break down, with no odors or mess, in virtually any kind of living space.

Get the Party Started
    The first steps are to select a location for your microbial mixer, and to decide how quickly you want results. If you have a large yard or outdoor area, the simplest method is to bury compostable material in the ground or collect it in a pile enclosed with chicken wire or fencing. A holding bin picks up the pace; moisture and aeration are more easily controlled to create optimal conditions for decomposition. Turning systems are holding bins that speed up the process even more and can accommodate large amounts of material. Contents can be rotated easily, shaking things up to stimulate microbial activity. Holding bins come in a variety of designs, or you can construct your own inexpensively. Look up Resource Conservation Manitoba’s website at www.resourceconservation.mb.ca for an extensive guide to backyard composting and containers.
    A large, well-insulated pile with adequate moisture and aeration can heat up (literally—reaching temperatures of up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, hot enough to burn your hand). Under such optimal conditions, finished compost can be produced in two to three months. In a slower-moving compost operation, the process can take six months to a year or more.
    Vermicomposting, or composting using indoor worm bins, is a great way to go if your access to the outdoors is limited. Though this idea might make your skin crawl at first, it’s a popular option among environmentally minded urbanites: clean, quick, effective and requiring very little space. While outdoor compost piles slow down in winter, indoor bins keep cranking year round, yielding fresh compost every two months or so.
    “With worm bins, we were able to make compost all year without leaving the apartment,” reports Susan Lang-Saponara, a registered dietitian in Princeton, New Jersey. “It was so easy I was really amazed, and it’s good for small spaces. It felt so awesome that we didn’t have trash, and it made a nice little nature circle right inside our home.”
    The wriggly recyclers are also playing a featured role in many schools, where they offer an engaging way to teach hands-on ecology and environmental stewardship. I.S. 318 in Brooklyn, New York, for example, has a model compost program involving a team of up to 50 students who collect cafeteria waste for use in the school’s community garden, diverting approximately 44 pounds a day from the waste stream.
    Many municipalities make compost bins or worms available at discounted prices to residents, and some offer educational workshops to get you started or provide resources. Joshua Cohen, manager of the Urban Composting Project at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, oversees an extensive outreach program in New York City. “The response from people has been unbelievable to me,” he remarks. “It blew my mind that people in New York City were so ecstatic about compost.” Check out your nearest cooperative extension, land grant university, botanical garden or public utility to find out about programs in your area.

Recipes for Success
    No matter which compost method you use, organic material is the essential ingredient. The optimal mix is about half carbon-rich “browns,” like autumn leaves, shredded newspaper, breads or grains; and half nitrogen-loaded “greens,” including fruit and vegetable scraps, grass clippings, green plants or weeds. Avoid using meat and fish, dairy products, pet waste, pesticide-treated plants, fats, oils and grease, which can create odors or health hazards.
    Shredding, chopping or breaking up materials speeds up the process by providing more surface area for microbes to munch on. The moisture level in the compost bin or pile should be about that of a wet sponge (microbes need water to survive, but too much will drown them). Regular turning or mixing ensures good circulation of air, water and nutrients.
    Although a wealth of information is available online and in libraries about the most efficient ways to compost, the right method is whatever fits best with one’s lifestyle, according to renewable services consultant Randy Smith of Traverse City, Michigan: “Most people know a lot more about it than they think, and they can customize it to meet their needs.” So, carry a torch for the environmental team in ’06 and go for the gold—black gold, that is!

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