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