4.3.2010April P. McEwanIND 548 Design for Sustainable Development

WASTE REDUCTION and RE-USE: INDOOR/OUTDOOR KITCHEN COMPOSTING

Justification & Significance2

The amount of food waste generated in the US is the third largest waste stream after

paper and yard waste. In 2008, about 12.7% of the total municipal solid waste (MSW) generated in

America was food scraps. Less than three percent of that 32 million tons was recovered and recycled. The rest - 31 million tons - was thrown away into landfills or incinerators.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

IMAGE i

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Yard trimmings and food residuals together constitute 26% of the U.S. municipal solid waste [MSW] stream. That's a lot of waste to send to landfills when it

could become useful and environmentally beneficial compostU.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Justification & Significance

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ORGANIC MATTER + O2 + H2O + NO3- + SO4

2- + HEAT = COMPOST

Shivel et al., 2006

For beneficial nutrient-rich compost, you simply need green (food waste) and brown (yard waste) organic matter, oxygen, air, time, and heat.

Compost Process

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Compost , or Humus, the nutrient-rich benefits of composting food and yard waste

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Compost can…U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Justification & Significance

Suppress plant diseases and pests.

Reduce or eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers.

Promote higher yields of agricultural crops.

Facilitate reforestation, wetlands restoration, and habitat revitalization efforts by amending contaminated, compacted, and marginal soils.

Cost-effectively remediate soils contaminated by hazardous waste.

Remove solids, oil, grease, and heavy metals from storm-water runoff.

Capture and destroy 99.6 percent of industrial volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) in contaminated air.

Provide cost savings of at least 50 percent over conventional soil, water, and air pollution remediation technologies, where applicable.

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Solutions for diverting food and vegetation waste to compost involve re-designing the kitchen

to accommodate the collection of kitchen scraps for easier composting, thus providing enriched garden soil for home gardens.

KITCHEN

COMPOSTGARDEN

Conceptual Framework

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Existing Solutions

Ceramic Compost Pail

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Existing Solutions

Nature Mill’s Electric Composterhttp://www.naturemill.com/video_histChan.html

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Solution A: Kitchen Island Pull-out Compost Base Cabinet

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Solution A: Kitchen Island Pull-out Compost Base Cabinet

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Solution A: Kitchen Island Pull-out Compost Base Cabinet

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Solution B: Interior/Exterior Kitchen Composting System

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Solution B: Interior/Exterior Kitchen Composting System

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Solution B: Interior/Exterior Kitchen Composting System

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Solution B: Interior/Exterior Kitchen Composting System

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Solution B: Interior/Exterior Kitchen Composting System

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Figure 1 “Total Municipal Solid Waste Generation, 2007”United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2009). Wastes - Resource Conservation – Common Wastes & Materials – Organic Materials: Basic Information about Food Waste. Retrieved 3.22.10, 2010, from http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/materials/organics/food/fd-basic.htm

Figure 2 “Conceptual Framework for Solutions A & B”

Figure 3 “Ceramic Compost Crock”Clean Air Gardening. (2010). Environmentally Friendly Lawn & Garden Supplies. Retrieved 3.22.2010, fromhttp://www.cleanairgardening.com/ceramic-compost-crock.html

Figure 4 “Nature Mill’s electric composter”Nature Mill. (2010). Compost Made Easy! Retrieved 3.22.2010, from http://naturemill.com/howItWorks.html

Figure 5 “Kitchen Island Plan View: 12” CB = Compost Base (not to scale)

Figure 6 “Kitchen Island Elevation: 12” CB = Compost Base (not to scale)”

Figure 7 “Kitchen Island Elevation Detail with Compost Base Pull-out (not to scale)”

Figure 8 “Indoor/Outdoor Compost System Section of Kitchen Exterior/Sink Wall (not to scale)”

Figure 9 “Kitchen Exterior/Sink Wall Plan View” (not to scale)

Figure 10 “Kitchen Exterior/Sink Wall Elevation” (not to scale)

Image References

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Figure 11 “Kitchen Exterior/Sink Wall Plan View Compost System Detail” (not to scale)

Figure 12 “Figure 12: Compost System Section Detail” (not to scale)

Figure 13 “Compost System Interior Elevation Detail” (not to scale)

Figure 14 “Compost System Exterior Elevation” (not to scale)

Figure 15 “Total Impacts/Lifetime Calculations with Carbon Factors”

Figure 16 “Total Impacts/Lifetime Calculations with Okala Factors”

Figure 17 “Compost, or Humus, the nutrient-rich benefits of composting food and yard waste” The Environmental Industry Associations. (2010). Landfills: Municipal Solid Waste Landfills. Retrieved 5.1.2010,From http://www.organicgardeninfo.com/organic-gardening-compost.html

Image References

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Belletire, S., St. Pierre, L. & White, P. (2004). Okala: Learning ecological design. Portland.

Glynn County Official Website. (2008). Glynn County Solid Waste Program. Retrieved 3.22.2010, from http://www.glynncounty.org/search.aspx?M=C&S=1&SearchString=%20solid%20waste%20program%20&ysnCount=0&showall=1

McDonough, W., & Braungart, M. (2002). Cradle to cradle: remaking the way we make things. New York:North Point Press.

N. Trautmann et al., (1996). Cornell composting. Composting in schools. Troubleshooting compost problems. Retrieved 5.1.2010, from Cornell University, Cornell Waste Management Institute, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences Web site: http://compost.css.cornell.edu/TROUBLE.HTML

Pollan, M. (2002). The botany of desire: A plant’s-eye view of the world. New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks.

Shilev, S., Mladen, N., Ventsislava, V. & Aladjadjiyan, A. (2007). Composting of food and agricultural wastes. In V. Oreopoulou (Ed.), W. Russ (Series Ed.) & K. Kristbergsson (Series Ed.). Utilization of by-products and treatment of waste in the food industry (pp. 283-302). New York: Springer Science + Business Media, LLC.

The Environmental Industry Associations. (2010). Landfills: Municipal Solid Waste Landfills. Retrieved 5.1.2010,from http://www.environmentalistseveryday.org/issues-solid-waste-technologies-regulations/landfills garbage-disposal/index.php

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2009). Wastes - Resource Conservation - Reduce, Reuse,Recycle – Composting. Retrieved 3.22.10, 2010, from http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/rrr/composting/

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2009). Wastes - Resource Conservation - Reduce, Reuse,Recycle – Composting : Basic Information. Retrieved 3.22.10, 2010, from http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/rrr/composting/basic.htm

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2009). Wastes - Resource Conservation – Common Wastes &Materials – Organic Materials: Basic Information about Food Waste. Retrieved 3.22.10, 2010, from http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/materials/organics/food/fd-basic.htm

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (1997). Estimating and Addressing America’s Food Losses. Retrieved 3.22.2010, from http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/materials/organics/food/fd-basic.htm

Vasil, A. (2009). Ecoholic. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.

Citation References

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Questions & Comments?

Thank you!

FOR TIPS ON COMPOSTING, VISIT

WWW.EPA.GOV/OSW/CONSERVE/RRR/COMPOSTING/