composting in new hampshire schools: a how to guide - the guide - version 2

8/8/2019 Composting in New Hampshire Schools: A How to Guide - The Guide - version 2

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Why Compost at Schools? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Test ing School Compost ing in NH! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

What t o Expect in This Guide? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

GETTING STARTED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

What Does it Take t o Compost ? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Can Your School Compost ? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Get t ing Everyones Support ! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Time t o Get Organized! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

THE COMPOSTING EQUATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Food Wast e = Nit rogen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Bulking Agent = Carbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Compost s Micro-Organisms Need Air! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Moist ure Is Import ant ! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Heat Means Compost Act ion! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

THE COMPOST BIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10NH Pilot Programs Use 3 and 4 Bin Turning Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10How To Avoid At t ract ing Animals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

How To Keep Cost s Down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12How Many Compost Bins Will Be Needed? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Where Should t he Compost Bins Be Placed? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

FOOD WASTE COLLECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14What Happens in t he Kit chen? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

In What Will Food Wast e Be Collect ed? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16How Much Food Wast e Is Compost ed? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Who Will Collect t he Food Wast e? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17What About Plat e Scrapings? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

COMPOST BIN OPERATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19What Equipment Is Needed? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Let s Compost ! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19


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St art ing a New Compost Pile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Adding t o t he Compost Pile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

What About NH Wint ers? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

"FINISHED" COMPOST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Is t he Compost Finished? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Should t he Compost Be Test ed? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21How t o Use t he Compost ? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

PROGRAM EVALUATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

EDUCATION - KICK-OFF - PROMOTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Educat ion Is Key! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Kicking It Off! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Dont Forget Promot ion! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Good Luck! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

APPENDIX A - COMPOSTING AT NH SCHOOLS: PROGRAM OVERVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

APPENDIX B - COMPOSTING AT NH SCHOOLS: 3 BIN COMPOSTING UNIT

MADE FROM REUSED WOODEN PALLETS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

APPENDIX C - DOCUMENTS TO COPY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2

APPENDIX D - COMPOST TESTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

APPENDIX E - NH PRESS COVERAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

GLOSSARY OF TERMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

COMPOSTING RESOURCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

TRADE ORGANIZATIONS and ASSOCIATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

K - 12 SCIENCE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

ACTIVITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53


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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This Guide was made poss ible by t he unyielding dedicat ion and ent husiasm of BelmontHigh School's and New Bost on Cent ral School's st udent s, st aff (especially kit chen st aff )

and administ rat ors. A special t hanks goes out t o John Frick, Belmont High School

Technical Educat ion Teacher and Dan Jamrog, New Bost on Cent ral School 6 t h GradeScience Teacher, for t heir hard work and commit ment in not only saying "yes" t o school

compost ing, but also giving of t hemselves ent irely t hroughout t he program.

This Guide was also made possible by t he support and expert ise of Nancy Adams,

Rockingham Count y Ext ension, Bonnie Bet hune and Debbie Smit h, New Bost on TransferSt at ion and Tom Morin, Belmont High School.

For t heir at t ent ion t o det ail while reviewing, comment ing, and edit ing t his Guide, t hanks

also go t o all of t he above ment ioned and Enid Kelly, Deerf ield Cent ral School and JudyEngalichev, NH Office of St at e Planning.

Thanks go t o Shelly Elmer, Port smout h, NH for t he cust om drawn graphics and t o LarryGreen, San Francisco, CA, and t he Indiana Depart ment of Environment al Management 's

Off ice of Pollut ion Prevent ion for t he use of t heir graphics.

Permiss ion for reprint ing compost ing "Act ivit ies" was given by:

C The Cornell Cent er for t he Environment , Cornell Universit y, It haca, NYC Pat rick Cushing, New Rochelle, NY

C Associat ion of Vermont Recyclers, Mont pelier, VTC Chadbourne & Chadbourne, Inc., Chargrin Falls, OH


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INTRODUCTION

St udent s are great recyclers . They recycle t heir aluminum cans and t hey recycle t heirpaper. But what about t heir food wast e, t hose cafet eria left overs f rom preparing t he

st udent s' breakfast and lunch? This mat erial can be recycled t hrough compost ing!

Why Compost at Schools?

Compost ing is nat ures way of recycling. It is t he nat ural process of organic mat erials(i.e., food, leaf and yard wast e) breaking down int o a valuable soil amendment , just as a

leaf does on t he forest floor. Bet ween 6 t o 14 percent of t he daily wast e in a school iscompost able food scraps. Compost ing t hese organic mat erials cannot only save moneyby reducing t he schools disposal cost s, but can also st rengt hen an environment al

science program wit h hands on science act ivit ies. Educat ors can play a major role in

t eaching st udent s about t he values of compost ing bot h in t he school and at home, whileproviding a great example of a nat ural life cycle.

School Composting Can:

< Re-use organic mat erial, a valuable nat ural r esource;< Save money by reducing t he school's wast e disposal cost s;< Creat e a valuable soil amendment for plant ing or mulching;

< Provide an opport unit y for st udent s t o st udy t he biology and chemist ryof how t he compost ing process works;

< Provide st udent s wit h an example of a nat ural life cycle, and;

< Give st udent s a feeling t hat t hey can help make a diff erence.

Testing School Composting in NH!

In order t o t est whet her backyard compost ing was possible for New Hampshire schools,t he NH Governors Recycling Program and t he NH Depart ment of Environment al Serviceshave conduct ed t he "Compost ing at New Hampshire Schools" pilot program at t he New

Bost on Cent ral School and Belmont High School since March of 1995 (see Appendix Afor an overview of t hese schools).


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Primary Goal: To develop a school compost ing program t hat can be easilyduplicat ed by ot her NH schools wit h a minimal invest ment of

t ime and money.

Secondary Goal: To educat e st udent s in science, mat h and solid wast e issues

by learning how t o compost and demonst rat ing t he possibleenvironment al and economic advant ages of compost ing.

What to Expect in This Guide?

This Guide is based on t he knowledge gained from t he t wo pilot programs. It is designedt o provide users wit h background informat ion t o help decide if t hey want t o st art

compost ing, as well as how t o set up, operat e and promot e a school compost ing project .The Appendices include informat ion sheet s, t racking forms, et c. from t he pilot . Please

use t hem in any way which is helpful.

In addit ion, t he Guide can assist t eachers in educat ing st udent s in science, mat h, andsolid wast e issues. Appendices include a list of t he "New Hampshire Curr iculum

Frameworks" t hat t he Guide addresses and several compost ing-relat ed classroomact ivit ies. Throughout t he Guide, you will find markers referr ing t o an act ivit y in t heAppendices t hat best relat es t o t hat sect ion of t he Guide.

As always, for any furt her quest ions, please do not hesit at e t o call t he NH Governors

Recycling Program at (6 0 3) 271-10 98 or t he NH Depart ment of Environment al Servicesat (6 0 3) 271-3712.

GETTING STARTED

St art ing a school compost ing program can be fun and easy. However, an

underst anding of how school compost ing works and whet her or not compost ing is anopt ion for a specific school is needed before st art ing.

What Does it Take to Compost?

School cafet erias produce food wast e fr om t wo sources.


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1. Preparing meals ("prep scraps")2. St udent s' left overs ("plat e scrapings")

The operat ion of a school compost ing program involves -

1. Collect ing t he food wast es (we recommend st art ing wit h "prep scraps")2. Deposit ing t hem int o a compost ing bin3. Mixing t hem wit h a bulking agent (i.e., leaves or wood shavings)

4. Ensuring t he combinat ion of food wast e, bulking agent and moist ure is correct5. Deciding how t o use t he finished compost

Alt hough t he operat ional st eps list ed above are simple, t here are many small det ails ofset t ing up, coordinat ing, and operat ing a school compost ing program. It is essent ial t oaddress t hese det ails for a successful program.

Can Your School Compost?

The NH Depart ment of Environment al Services encourages food wast e compost ingact ivit y t hroughout t he st at e by allowing kit chen wast es t o be compost ed at t he samelocat ion t hat t hey are generat ed wit hout any permit t ing requirement s. Consequent ly, no

St at e permit is required for a school t o compost t heir food wast e on t he schoolgrounds.

The checklist below can help a school communit y decide if it should compost .

G Is t here a school lunch program?

G Does t he school administ rat ion support a compost ing project ?

G Is t here one person willing t o be t he point of cont act for t he program and keept he program going?

G Do t eachers , maint enance, or ot her involved st aff support compost ing?

G Is t he kit chen st aff willing t o place t he food wast e in a separat e cont ainer?

G Can an adequat e sit e for t he compost bin be found on t he school grounds?

G Are t here people (st aff , local volunt eers, or st udent s) willing t o const ructand/or maint ain t he compost ing bins?

G Can enough bulking mat erial be made available t o mix wit h t he food wast e?


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NH Experience: A t ypical react ion among school principals and t eachersmay be t hat compost ing will at t ract wild animals and consequent ly put

children at risk. Therefore, a focus of t he pilot programs was t o det ermine

if t his was t rue. Many precaut ions were t aken t o avoid at t ract ing pest s

(see page 11). No wild "crit t ers" have been seen around t he compost bins

and t here has been no evidence of any visit s occurr ing at night . However,

do not t ake t his issue light ly; offer t o st op compost ing food if any

problems develop.


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NH Experience: The compost ing commit t ee in New Bost on consist ed oft he Sixt h Grade Science Teacher, School Secret ary, Hot Lunch Direct or,

Lunch Helper, and New Bost on Transfer St at ion Manager and Assist ant

Manager. In Belmont , t he commit t ee was made up of t he Technology

Educat ion Teacher, Physical Science Teacher, Food Service Direct or, Head

Cust odian, and select ed st udent s f rom t he Environment al Club.

possible financial savings t o t he school, rat her t han just emphasizing "beinggood for t he environment ."

3. Let st aff people know it is not t he int ent ion t o creat e more work for t hem int heir daily rout ine, and t hat feedback is needed on how t o avoid t hat .

4. Be sure t hat everyone underst ands how compost ing works and what a schoolcompost ing program involves.

5. Do not force t he issue. If people are not recept ive, it may not be t he rightproject or t he best t ime t o st art .

Time to Get Organized!

Once a decision is made t o compost and t he full support of all involved part ies isobt ained, it is t ime t o organize a compost ing commit t ee and solicit volunt eers t opart icipat e in t he program. The following are suggest ions on ways t o get t he word out

t o t he school and communit y for moral support , and financial and/or physical help.

< Not ify ot her environment al t ype school organizat ions/clubs;

< Use school and communit y newslet t ers ;< Not ify t he St udent Council;< Use t he schools public address syst em for announcement s;

< Cont act local Garden Clubs, Conservat ion Commissions, Recycling Commit t ees, et c.;< Make announcement s at school relat ed meet ings, and;< Cont act local Public Works, Recycling Cont ract ors, and Coordinat ors.


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THE COMPOSTING EQUATION

Compost is t he result of organic wast e mat erial decomposing t hrough t he act ions of

soil micro-organisms. The micro-organisms which creat e compost need relat ivelylarge amount s of carbon mat erial (leaves, wood chips, et c.), small amount s of nit rogenmat erial (f ood wast e, fresh manure, grass clippings, et c.), air and moist ure t o t hrive and

act ively do t heir job.

Food Waste = Nit rogen

Most of a school's compost able food wast es are high innit rogen and can include bread, fr uit and veget able scraps,

coffee grounds, and eggshells. Fresh green grass clippings are also a source of mat erialhigh in nit rogen. Meat s, dairy product s, oils, fat s, and bones should be avoided whencompost ing because t hey will t ake a long t ime t o decompose and are likely t o creat e

odor and at t ract pest s.

Bulking Agent = Carbon

Eit her wood shavings (available by t he bag from a grain st ore) or fallleaves (keep in mind oak leaves decompose more slowly t han maple leaves)are good mat erials t o use as a bulking agent since bot h are high in

carbon. Ensure you have access t o enough dry bulking agent for t heent ire school year. If t he plan is t o use leaves, t his may require st ockpilingmany bags.


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NH Experience: The New Hampshire pilot schools st art ed t heircompost ing programs in March of 1995 using mulch hay as a bulking

agent . Af t er 3 mont hs of compost ing, much of t he food was breaking

down but t he hay was not . Belmont cont inued t o experiment using hay as

a bulking agent , while in Sept ember, New Bost on swit ched t heir bulking

agent t o leaves. New Bost on used a rat io of one part food t o one partleaves (by weight ) and by 3 mont hs, bot h t he food and leaves had broken

down t o a finished compost product . Belmont 's hay cont inued t o show

lit t le breakdown, so t hey reused t heir par t ially decomposed hay by mixing

it again as a bulking agent wit h t he food wast e.

NH Experience: At bot h pilot schools, t he t urning of t he compost pilefr om one bin int o t he next t ook about 45 minut es and was done anywhere

fr om t wice a week t o once a mont h, depending on t he t emperat ure of t he

pile and t he availabilit y of people t o do t he t urning.

Composts Micro-Organisms Need Air!

As wit h all living t hings, t he compost s micro-organisms need oxygent o survive and do t heir work. The compost bin must be able t o supplyplent y of air . If a pile is larger t han four square feet , t he mat erial in

t he cent er will be t oo compressed t o allow air t o reach t he middle.Turning a pile from one bin t o anot her is one way t o aid in vent ilat ion.

Moisture Is Important!

The micro-organisms in a compost pile work best when t he pile is asmoist as a wrung-out sponge. Sit t ing in direct sun all day may dry out

t he pile and t he microbes will die. However, during heavy rains, t oomuch wat er may make it soggy, keep t he oxygen out of t he compost ,

and drown t he microbes.


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NH Experience: New Bost on achieved t he right amount of moist ure byusing a t arp t o cover t he bins in t he wint er ( t o keep out t he snow) and

exposing t he bins t o part ial sunlight and rain during t he rest of t he year.

Belmont experiment ed wit h not using t heir t arp, and due t o a rainy fall,

found t hat t he compost was a lit t le t oo wet . For addit ional moist ure

cont rol research, st udent s at t ached plywood t ops t o t he bins, whichresult ed in compost t hat was a lit t le t oo dry by t he end of t he summer.

Ref e r to

Ref e r to

Heat Means Compost Action!

Micro-organisms generat e heat as t hey decompose organicmat erial. Pile t emperat uresbet ween 90EF and 150EF indicat e

rapid compost ing. A compost ingt hermomet er (see page 19 ) is t hebest way t o keep t rack of t he

t emperat ure deep inside t he pile t o indicat e whet her t hecompost pile is act ive.

Temperat ures below 90EF indicat e t he pile is not act ively compost ing. This may bebecause . . .

1. The pile needs t o be t urned t o get more oxygen int o t hecent er;

2. The pile is t oo wet or t oo dry for t he micro-organisms

t o do t heir work;3. The pile needs more nit rogen mat erial, i.e., green grass

clippings, food wast e, and manures t o feed t he micro-organisms; or

4. The pile is done compost ing and is now "finished" compost .

Above 150EF indicat es t he pile is t oo hot and should be t urned t o avoid burning up t he

big and lit t le organisms.


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NH Experience: Wit h much fanfare, bot h New Hampshire pilot schoolswere able t o celebrat e act ive decomposit ion wit h a jump in t emperat ure t o

almost 130 " aft er just 17 days of mixing food wast e and bulking agent in

t he compost ing bins.

THE COMPOST BIN

The needs of a school compost bin are a lit t le diff erent t han t he needs of a household'sbackyard compost bin. Issues t o consider when deciding what t ype of compost bin is

right for a school include: t he quant it ies of food wast e generat ed; at t ract ing wildanimals t o t he school; and ext ra finances t o buy or build a fancy compost bin.

Ready-made and easy-t o-assemble bins can be purchased at local hardware and garden

supply st ores. Keep in mind t hat t hese bins are t ypically used by single households,t herefore, depending on t he amount of f ood wast e t he school produces, you may need

mult iple bins, which can be expensive.

When const ruct ing compost bins, t here are a number of designs which can be easy and

fun t o build. There are "holding unit s," such as snow fencing, wire fencing or hardwareclot h t ied in a circle t o cont ain t he compost pile. However, for t he larger quant it ies offood wast e a school generat es, a "t urning unit ," a series of t hree or more bins t hat

allows wast es t o be t urned regularly fr om one bin t o t he next , may be more appropriat e.

NH Pilot Programs Use 3 and 4 Bin Turning Unit

Before choosing a compost bin design for t he"Compost ing at NH Schools" pilot program, t he

successes and failures of ot her school compost ingprograms t hroughout t he Unit ed St at es wereresearched. Some schools had t r ied using t he ready-

made bins, however, t hey were unable t o handle t he large quant it ies of f ood wast e.Ot hers built elaborat e mult iple bin unit s wit h buildings around t hem, however, t hatrequired a large f inancial invest ment . For t he New Hampshire pilot programs, it was

decided t hat a t hree or four bin "Turning Unit " made fr om re-used wooden pallet s andlined wit h hardware clot h would best address a NH school compost ing programs needsbecause:


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NH Experience: In New Bost on, building t he compost bins was acommunit y collaborat ion of school facult y/st aff and local t ransfer st at ion

st aff and family. In Belmont , t he st udent s in t he Technical Educat ion

class were able t o use some of t heir skills const ruct ing t he compost bins

wit h minimal supervision. At bot h schools, t he preparat ion, const ruct ion,

and clean up t ime t ot aled about 5 hours for five t o t en people.

NH Experience: In Belmont , t he inch hardware clot h lining t he inside oft he pallet s and covering t he front s and t ops of t he bins, proved t o be

more t han adequat e in keeping out any pest s. However, in New Bost on

sagging wire had t o be reinforced on t he t ops af t er several cat s had been

found sleeping t here while enjoying t he heat from t he compost below!

< It can handle t he large quant it ies of f ood wast e and, if necessary, can be easilyexpanded by adding anot her bin.

< It is easy t o line t he pallet bins wit h hardware clot h t o keep out unwant ed animals.< Reusing wooden pallet s t o make t he bins keeps t he compost ing programs cost s

down, and is a form of recycling!

How To Avoid Attracting Animals

Whenever compost ing food wast e, and especially in a sit uat ion where t here will be

children around, addit ional care should be t aken t o avoid at t ract ing animals. Somesuggest ions for accomplishing t his are t o:

< Line bins on sides, t op and bot t om wit h hardware clot h or chicken wire.< St ay clear of food wast es t hat are high in prot ein and fat such as meat s, oils, fish

scraps, and dairy product s.

< Place food wast es int o t he cent er of t he pile so t hat no food is exposed.< Turn t he compost pile fr equent ly t o keep it act ively compost ing.< Maint ain t he bins over t ime! Holes or weaknesses can become an open invit at ion for

some unwant ed cr it t er 's dining experience.


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Ref e r to

How To Keep Costs Down

A wood and wire t hree bin "Turning Unit " made from virgin lumber can cost

approximat ely $30 0 . However, a similar t hree bin "Turning Unit " t hat alsomeet s all t he schools compost ing needs can be made from re-used pallet s and

hardware clot h or chicken wire for about $150 (see Appendix B).

Anot her way t o keep cost s down is t o solicit donat ions for bin mat erials, money

and/or labor from local organizat ions and/or businesses. Also consider t he possibilit y ofgrant programs supplement ing a school compost ing budget .

How Many Compost Bins Will Be Needed?

Depending on t he size of t he school and t he t ype

of food served (i.e., quant it y of fresh fruit s andveget ables), a school kit chen feeding 10 0 t o 80 0st udent s can average 5 t o 30 pounds of "prepscraps" per day. Most of t hese schools will need

a t urning unit wit h four bins. The fir st bin will beused for "new" food wast e, t he second bin will hold act ively compost ing food wast e, t het hird will cont ain finished compost , and t he fourt h can be used for ext ra capacit y during

wint er mont hs. Addit ional bins may be added for bulking agent st orage.

Schools wit h more t han 8 0 0 st udent s should plan on a five orsix bin t urning unit in order t o have space t o compost t heext ra amount of food wast e generat ed. However, t o see ifyour school has more t han an average of 3 0 pounds per day,

you may want t o do a school food wast e audit by collect ingand weighing "prep scraps" f or one week before building t he compost bins.

A very small school wit h less t han 10 0 st udent s can use a t urning unit wit h t hree binsinst ead of four, or call t he NH Governors Recycling Program (271-10 98 ) or t he NH

Depart ment of Environment al Services (271-3 712) f or informat ion on alt ernat ivecompost ing met hods.


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NH Experience: For bot h t he New Hampshire pilot programs, t he t hreebin compost ing unit made from reused wooden pallet s would have been

suff icient for t he volume of food wast e t hey produced. However, just in

case more space was needed, a fourt h bin was built at bot h schools, and

became very handy t o st ore t he bulking agent .

NH Experience: In Belmont , everyone appreciat ed t hat t he bins wereconvenient ly placed near a door out side t he Technical Educat ion

classroom and only a few feet away from a rout inely plowed dr iveway. In

New Bost on t he compost ing bins were placed at t he far end of a large

parking lot , part ially under some t rees. Alt hough t here were no complaint s

about having t o t ravel t he dist ance (about 10 0 yards), t he st udent s

bringing t he food from t he kit chen t o t he compost bins felt t hat t he bins

could have been a lit t le closer t o t he school.

Where Should the Compost Bins Be Placed?

Compost bins should be placed on a flat grass or soil surface. To assist wit h keeping t hecompost moist , but not t oo moist , it is best if t he bins are facing sout h for heat , but are

part ially shaded t o keep t he compost fr om drying out . For convenience, being close t ot he lunchroom and/or kit chen exit s and a wat er supply, wit hout being t oo close t o afrequent ly t raveled area, is ideal. Remember t hat access t o t he bins in t he wint er and

snow plowing requirement s should be considered.

The amount of space needed for compost ing depends on t he size and number of bins

used. Generally speaking, t he four bins (each four f eet square) in t he pallet syst em needan area at least 20 feet across by eight feet deep for bins, bulking agent st orage, andmaneuvering. If placing t he bins near a wall or f ence, be sure t o leave enough space for a

person t o walk behind t he bins t o keep t he area clean.

Before making any decisions as t o where t o locat e t he bins, t he most import ant st ep is

t o check wit h t he food service, cust odial and grounds keeping st aff.


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NH Experience: At Belmont High School, "prep scraps" were

approximat ely pound per st udent per mont h, while at New Bost onCent ral School, "prep scraps" were approximat ely one pound per st udent

per mont h.

FOOD WASTE COLLECTION

Food wast e makes up approximat ely 6 t o 14 percent of a schools wast e st ream.However, t his includes all food wast e - "prep scraps" and "plat e scrapings" (see page

2). Compost ing is most likely a new and different act ivit y for schools. Consequent ly, it

is import ant t o begin as simply as possible (i.e., avoid cont aminat ion, fewer peoplerequiring t raining and smaller quant it ies of food). It is suggest ed t o st art compost ing

only "prep scraps" unt il you feel comfort able wit h t he compost ing process. To get anunders t anding of how much food wast e t his will be, consider collect ing and weighing it fora week. This will help wit h planning a collect ion schedule and t he number of compost bins

needed.

What Happens in the Kitchen?

When kit chen "prep scraps" are being compost ed, it isimport ant t o have t he support and cooperat ion of t he kit chen

st aff . The job of t he kit chen st aff is t o keep compost able foodscraps separat e from ot her wast e mat erials. Educat ion is t hekey t o keeping t his a relat ively simple t ask.

A few ideas on how t o gain t he support of t he kit chen st aff are:

< Be aware of t he kit chen st affs needs and minimize inconvenience for t hem.< Pay at t ent ion t o where most of t he food get s prepared for convenient placement of

t he collect ion cont ainers.

< Provide clear signage t o minimize confusion. St udent s may want t o be involved increat ing at t ract ive signs for compost cont ainers.

< Out line t he "do's and dont s" of t he t ypes of food accept ed.


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DOs

Breads

Fruit ScrapsCoffee Grounds

Veget able Scraps

Crushed Egg Shells

DON'Ts

Oils

FatsBonesMeat s

Dairy Product s

Ref e r to

NH Experience: Bot h pilot programs were designed so t hat t he onlyresponsibilit y of t he kit chen st aff was t o place t he "prep scraps" int o a

separat e cont ainer. The New Bost on Cent ral School kit chen st aff found

t his new rout ine required less t ime and energy t han t he garbage disposal

t hat t hey had been using previously. There was also t he added advant age

of t he sept ic t ank requiring less maint enance.

Use t he following dos and dont s for separat ing food wast e.

Meat s, dairy product s, oils, fat s, and bones should not becompost ed because t hey will t ake a long t ime t o decomposeand may at t ract pest s t o t he compost bins. In addit ion,

anyt hing nonbiodegradable, i.e., plast ic forks, wrappers, cups,et c., will not break down in t he compost pile.

In many schools, t he food wast e is usually disposed of by adding it t o t he ot her solid

wast e t hey generat e while incurr ing obvious added disposal cost s f or t he school. Once afood wast e compost ing program is underway, t here will be t he obvious benefit of saving

money from avoided wast e disposal cost s. Anot her food wast e disposal met hodcommonly used in schools is t o flush it down t he garbage disposal, grinder or "pigger"wit h wat er. When a school swit ches from t his disposal met hod t o compost ing t he food

wast e, t here will be a savings incurr ed by not only ext ending t he life of t heir leach field

and sept ic t ank but also requiring less maint enance and cleaning.


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NH Experience: The New Bost on Cent ral School used 5 gallon bucket swit h lids. This size was desirable because t he element ary st udent s were

able t o handle t hem on t heir own and easily place t hem in a wagon t o pull

across t he parking lot t o t he compost bin sit e. The high school st udent s

and t he kit chen st aff at Belmont chose a 55 gallon plast ic garbage can

lined wit h a plast ic bag. If t he can was heavy, t wo st udent s would carry it

t oget her t o t he compost bins. The plast ic bag made it possible t o weigh

t he food by t ying a knot in t he bag and hooking it on a scale.

In What Will Food Waste Be Collected?

Food wast e is relat ively wet and heavy. Consequent ly, collect ion cont ainers need t o be:

< Wat er Proof - To keep wet food from leaking and for easy cleaning.

composting in new hampshire schools: a how to guide - the guide - version 2

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