BJ Frank Fairfax County Master Gardeners Association August 16, 2015 Compost Black Gold.
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Transcript of BJ Frank Fairfax County Master Gardeners Association August 16, 2015 Compost Black Gold.
BJ FrankFairfax County Master Gardeners AssociationApril 21, 2023
Compost
Black
Gold
Note to Master Gardeners: This presentation contains movie clips which probably won’t play in this uploaded version.
35: film clip of the ecomposter found here:http://www.ecomposter.net/Lang1/pages.aspx?p=3
38: film clip of the Jora composter found here: http://www.jora-composter.com/
Slide 42 (the end): has the music from this animation:http://www.eclectech.co.uk/compostbin.php
What is compost?
Rotten garbage and yard waste used to improve soil structure and provide nutrients to plants.
A mixture of decaying organic matter used to improve soil structure and provide nutrients to plants.
equals
equals
Humus
Why do we compost?
• Personal benefits.• Environmental benefits.• Economic benefits.
According to Sierra Club Green Home, of the 31 million tons of food waste Americans throw away each year, only 3% is recycled!
Personal benefits
of compositing.
Pay to discard waste as garbage and
repurchase as soil amendments
Compost
or
Personal benefits
of compositing.
Civic Pride
Personal benefits of compositing.
Environmental benefits
America’s largest landfill: Apex, Las Vegas, Nevada, storing nearly 50 million tons of rotting trash.
Composting reduces pollution caused by noxious gases and contaminated wastewater.
Materials Generated In the Municipal Waste Stream in
2008 Paper and Paperboard
55.5%
Glass 23.1%
Plastics 12.0%
Metals 8.4%
Food Scraps 12.7%
Yard Trimmings 13.2%U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2009, November). Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the U.S. Detailed Tables and Figures for 2008. Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery. www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw2008data.pdf
Garbage generation per person 4.5
Recovery for recycling 1.1
Recovery for composting* 0.4
Total Materials Recovery 1.5
Discards after recovery 3
Combustion with energy recovery 0.57
Discards to landfill, other disposal 2.43
Waste generated In pounds per person per day in 2008.
Economic Benefits of Composting
• Compost improves soil, reducing the need for fertilizer
• Saves the cost of processing waste by incineration and in landfills
Public Policy
• Commitment• Enforcement• United States• Internationally
Garbage Disposals
Should you use one?
Garbage Disposals
Any “waste” that can’t be put back to use - either through reuse, recycling, or composting - becomes pollution that’s expensive to deal with and takes its toll on the environment. www.sierraclubgreenhome.com/go-green/appliances/garbage-disposals/
Create a waste water treatment problem
Banned in many European countries – an American device.
Enforcement
Recycling is the law in the City of Falls Church. Yard waste must be in a brown bag with a sticker (50¢ each) on each bag. Violations of the code result in a civil penalty of $100 applies to the first violation and $150 for each subsequent violation.
How composting works.
Decomposition is based on:•Air: ventilation speeds the process•Water: enough to keep moist but not mushy•Rotation: turning speeds the process•Heat: a minimum pile temperature of 131°F for 3 days will destroy weed seeds and plant pathogens. •Carbon/nitrogen (green/brown) 25:1 or 30:1 ratioThe smaller the material the faster the decomposition. Good mulch does not smell bad. It should smell like rich soil or baking bread.
Green:BrownGreens: high in nitrogen (proteins). Feed the microbes so they grow and multiply fast, creating hot compost piles. Usually moist.
Browns: high in carbon (carbohydrates. Feed the microbes. Absorb bad odors and help prevent organic nitrogen in the compost from escaping by evaporation or leaching. Usually dry matter.
To approximate 30:1, just add 2 parts green to 1 part
brown.
Is it Green or Brown
Browns•Leaves, dead or dry. •Hay •Straw•Paper & cardboard •Tea Bags •Sawdust and wood pellets •Wood Ashes
Don’t know? Wet it and wait a couple days. If it stinks, it’s green. If not, it’s brown.
Greens•Living green leaves•Fresh garden clippings•Fruit and vegetable waste•Coffee grounds•Fresh manure•Grass clippings
Materials to Compost• Animal manure• Cardboard rolls• Clean paper• Coffee grounds and filters• Cotton & wool rags• Dryer & vacuum cleaner
lint• Eggshells• Fireplace ashes• Fruits and vegetables• Grass clippings
• Hair and fur• Hay and straw• Houseplants• Leaves• Nut shells• Sawdust• Shredded
newspaper• Tea bags• Wood chips• Yard trimmings
Materials NOT to Compost
• Black walnut tree leaves or twigs. – Releases substances that might be harmful
to plants.• Coal or charcoal ash. –Might contain substances harmful to plants.
• Dairy products and eggs. – Creates odor problems & attracts pests like
rodents and flies.• Fats, grease, lard, or oils. – Creates odor problems & attracts pests like
rodents and flies.
More Materials NOT to Compost
• Diseased or insect-ridden plants. – Diseases or insects might survive and
harm plants.• Meat or fish bones and scraps. – Creates odor problems & attracts pests
like rodents and flies.• Pet wastes (e.g., dog or cat feces, soiled
cat litter)–Might contain parasites, bacteria, germs,
pathogens, and viruses harmful to humans.
• Yard trimmings treated with chemical pesticides–Might kill beneficial composting
organisms.
Wood Pellets• Made from wood mill scraps
and used in pellet stoves, as animal bedding, as kitty litter.
• Add to compost to balance browns and greens.
• Inexpensive. Convenient.
Health Considerations
• Do not compost raw poultry or meat wastes, pet feces, and plate scrapings from people who are ill.
• Keep your compost hot to reduce pathogens. If dusty, water it.
• Use good personal hygiene when handling compost. Wash hands after handling compost and/or use gloves.
• If possible, let compost age for at least a year before use. http://cwmi.css.cornell.edu/smallscaleguidance.pdf
How do you compost?
Considerations• Convenience, ease of use• Cost• Speed of decomposition
• Heat, vents, rotation
• Yuck factor
Compost in Place/Lasagna Method
• Ruth Stout: No work - no till gardening.
• Lasagna Method – layering browns and greens.
Compost in Place/Lasagna Method
Pros•Most basic, easy•Convenient•Free•Accepts most materials
Cons• Can attract rodents• Speed: Slow, 8 – 12
months• Can be unsightly• Yuck factor
Trench Composting (hole in the ground)
The Green ConeComposting System$154 + $55 shipping
Trench Composting
• Pros:– Almost free,
cost of labor– Hidden– Accepts most
materials
• Cons:– Laborious- lots of
work to turn, and transport.
– Inconvenient– Speed: slow 1 – 2
years– Yuck factor
Box - Wooden, wire or plastic.
Free to $10 Up to $90
Low cost, if you do it yourself,
otherwise, up to $200
$17 from Arlington CountyPlastic bins $80 - $260
Box - Wooden, wire or plastic.
Pros•Low cost•Convenient
Cons•Laborious. Must turn by hand. Hard to transport composted material.•May be unsightly.•Not rodent-proof•Limited acceptable materials•Speed: slow to medium 4 – 6 months or more•Yuck factor:
Tumbler Bins
Ecomposter$299
Envirocycle mini $129
Mantis $550
More Tumbler Bins
Compos Tumbler$500 Tumbleweed
vertical tumbler $180
Urban Composter vertical tumbler
$238
Sun-Mar Continuous Composter $310/$400
Tumblers Bins
Pros•Low cost•Convenient •Rodent-proof•Speed: medium, 6 – 8 months •Yuck factor
Cons•Cost - $80 - $550•May be difficult to turn•Limited acceptable materials, no citrus or meat•Doors may not seal•Can leak•May be unsightly
Fully insulated inside
Jora Composter
composts25 – 30
liters per week
Composts everything, including meat & fish
6 to 8 weeks to
Black Gold
From Sweden
2 compartment
s
JK270 $365
Reaches 167˚ F.
Jora Composter
Pros•Convenient, easy•Sturdy•Rodent-proof•Speed: fast•Can compost everything!•High temperature kills pathogens and weed seeds•Yuck factor: zero!
Cons•Expensive, $285/$365
Nature Mill Indoor Composter
2 weeks to Black Gold!
HeatsTumblesAerates$299 - $399
Nature Mill Composter
Pros•Convenient•Speed: fast, 2 weeks•Rodent-proof•Yuck factor: zero!
Cons•Expensive $299 - $399•Small capacity•Takes space in kitchen•Uses electricity•Limited acceptable materials – no citrus•Can be drippy