from garbage to gold - university of rhode...
TRANSCRIPT
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From Garbage to Gold
Turning Organic Material Remains into a
Valuable ResourceAmy Cabaniss, PhD
URI Outreach Center
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Compost - What is it?
• ‘a mixture of decayed plants and other organic matter used by gardeners for enriching soil’
• ‘Compost is the microbiologically stable end product capable of supporting seedling germination and plant growth that results from a process of organic matter manipulation under specific conditions that support aerobic microbiological activity and elevated temperatures.’
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Compost - What is it?
‘Compost is the end product of the decomposition of organic matter.’
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Compost - Why create it?
To decrease waste disposal
http://www.fal.com/solid-waste-management.html#solid-waste
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Compost - Why create it?
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Compost - Why create it?
Rhode Island - Solid Waste Generation
•Rhode Island generates ~1.5M tons of solid waste each year.
~25% is recycled or composted;
~20% is transported and disposed out of state
~55%, or 750K tons, is currently disposed in the Central LandfillSource: Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation
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Compost - Why create it?
• Soil amendment– improves soil structure– improves drainage
• Nutrient source– for plants– for soil organisms
• Moisture retention
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Compost - Why create it?
‘Black Gold’
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Composting - How to do it
• Collect kitchen organic materials:– vegetable &
fruit remains– coffee grounds
& paper filters– egg shells– nut shells
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Composting - How to do it
• Collect backyard organic materials:– grass clippings– dry leaves– shrub & tree
trimmings– vegetative garden
remains
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Composting - How to do it
Collect other compostable organic materials:• weeds• paper napkins & towels• tea bags• hay & straw• cardboard rolls• livestock manure (fresh)
• sawdust
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Composting - How to do it
• Choose a convenient, level, well-drained location
• Decide whether or not you’ll use a compost bin and what type of bin
• Build a pile that is minimally 3x3x3 feet
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Composting - How to do it
Built compost bins
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Composting - How to do it
Ready-made compost bins
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Composting - How to do it
Compost bins• stationary or static composters - containment,
capacity heat retention, aesthetics, low cost• tumblers - mechanical mixing, rodent deterrent,
aeration tools not needed
• digesters (‘vermicomposters’) - useable indoors
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Composting - How to do it
Vermicomposting• Ideal for composting kitchen food scraps• Use colony of ‘red wigglers’ to decompose matter• Indoor activity
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Composting - How to do it
Building the backyard compost pile• form a base of coarse twigs• alternate 4 - 6” layers of high-carbon and high-
nitrogen materials• build into 1 cubic yard pile• thoroughly mix the layers
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Composting - How to do it
• High-carbon material (brown material)– dry leaves– woody material– dried weeds– hay & straw– paper products
• High-nitrogen material (green material)– grass clippings– vegetative remains– fruit remains– coffee grounds– some other food
remains
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Composting - How to do it
General Rules of thumb• Carbon rich material - brown, dry material• nitrogen rich - green succulent or wet material• 3 parts dry (75%) to 1 part wet (25%)
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Composting - How to do it
What not to compost• meat scraps and bones; animal fats• dairy products• fish scraps• dog and cat wastes• diseased or insect-ridden vegetation• yard trimmings with chemical pesticides• coal or charcoal ash• highly acidic matter
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Composting - How to do it
Your job:• Be conscious of pile placement - limit extremes• Regularly add material and mix• Keep it hot• Periodically moisten• Let others do the rest of the job….
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Composting - How to do it
Their job:Tertiary Consumers
centipedes, predatory mites, rove beetles, fomicid ants, carabid beetlesSecondary Consumers
springtails, some types of mites, feather-winged beetles, nematodes, protozoa, rotifera, soil flatworms
Primary Consumers(organisms that eat organic residues)
bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes,nematodes, some types of mites, snails, slugs,
earthworms, millipedes, sowbugs, whiteworms
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Compost - How it ‘happens’
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Compost - How it ‘happens’
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Composting - Troubleshooting
Backyard composting• Nothing happening - add nitrogen, water, aeration• Too hot - decrease nitrogen by adding carbon-rich
materials• Odor - too much nitrogen, aerationVermicomposting:• Worm die-off - too dry - water the bedding• Rotting - too much food at once
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Compost - When is it ready?
• Backyard composting– Depending on the steps taken…
4 weeks to 3 months
• Vermicomposting– 3 to 4 months
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Compost Uses
• Add nutrient-rich ‘black gold’ to garden and potted plants
• Use as mulch to retain moisture and temporarily minimize weeds
• Mix into soil to increase porosity, improve drainage, insulate soil
Enjoy!
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URI Outreach Center
For information about composting and other environmental topics and programs, contact:
URI Outreach Center401.874.2900
web.uri.edu/[email protected]