Saturday, June 26, 2010

Composting Challenge

It takes extra effort to be environmental, even for an environmental organization.  At World Bird Sanctuary, we constantly try to raise the bar and add the challenge for our visitors 

At the Sanctuary, we recycle. Give yourself a pat on the back if you do so at home. Recycling helps lessen what goes into landfills to yield products that can be used again.
 
Yard and kitchen waste amount to over 30% of the waste in landfills in the U.S.   At the World Bird Sanctuary, we have tried to cut back on what goes into the dumpster in order to conserve landfill space. Over the past several months, we have started ‘cooking’ in our brand new compost pile.  We are not cooking food, but with temperatures between 110-160F, our compost pile is cooking its contents very nicely.
 WBS's compost pile - the simplest form of composting if you have the space
Our compost pile is located on a concrete pad in the woods, away from drainage areas, so that excess minerals aren’t leached into the creeks and the river.  Initially, it started as a small experiment.  Soiled, saturated wood shavings, produce leftovers, rinds, and paper bits were combined at the site.  Weekly, more was added.  The pile was also turned on a regular basis.  More than anything, we wanted to see if it had started to warm up yet.  We didn’t seem to notice any change until a bucket of nitrogen from our pigeons was added.  (We did start the pile in the middle of winter.)

Ever since, when the pile is visited to add a bucket of peels, rinds and shavings, a wave of heat has been wafting off the pile.  I am surprised there is no smell.  This is the first objection most people raise when encouraged to compost their waste.  However, if maintained correctly, a compost pile should have no odor other than the smell of good clean dirt, and when turned over, the center of the pile will be nothing but smoking ashes.  Everything that has been added recently is indistinguishable a week later when we visit with more.  Encouraging other staff, volunteers, and interns to contribute has been made easier with a bucket placed in the kitchen where most of the food preparation takes place.

Making a compost heap is easy to do. I have even encouraged my family members to do so.  Start by collecting food rinds, peels, lint, hair balls, grass clippings, leaves, potato peels and anything else organic.  Locate a spot near your house to dump this collection.  Make sure it is close to a water source. My family chose the corner of the garden since it is currently fallow, and the resulting compost will be close to its final destination when complete. 
 A 3-bin compost pile with each bin in a different stage of "cooking"
Start by adding what was on the ‘goods’ list.  Make sure you keep your pile moist.  If it is too dry, it won’t break down.  It can be a problem if it is too wet too.  The pile should be the consistency of a damp sponge.  Make sure there is a mix of ‘browns’ and ‘greens’ with a ratio of 30 to 1.  Greens are fresh plant matter or animal byproducts that supply nitrogen, and moisture to get things going.  Examples are grass and plant clippings, coffee grounds, egg shells, produce rinds, tea bags, wool, hair, etc.  Browns are carbon rich, dry, dead plant material that add bulk and fluff so the composting microbes can breath.  Examples include pine needles, sticks, sawdust, dead leaves, dry straw, shredded newspaper, dead plants, rice, and wood.  However, don’t add diseased plants, weeds, meat, cheese, bones, charcoal, ashes, fecal waste of dogs, cats, and humans, or fats.

What if you live in an apartment or townhouse?  Many options are still available; vermicomposting, Bokashi buckets, and tumblers.  Tumblers can be purchased at a hardware or garden store.  A tumbler is composed of a rotating drum and ranges from $60-$100 depending on durability.  
A simple tumbler which can be manually rolled around in the back yard, some come on stands with handles to rotate them
Bokashi buckets start at around $115 a year for initial start up supplies (two buckets and a bag of Bokashi).  In this set up, kitchen scraps are sealed in an air tight bucket with a layer of composting microorganisms that ferment and accelerate the breakdown of organic matter.  Allow the bucket to ferment for a week or two then dig a hole and bury it in the garden.  It is an immediately usable source of nutrients for plants.  

Vermicomposting is less work than outdoor composting with less mess, making it an easy way to get rid of kitchen scraps.  The catch: husbands will enjoy stopping by to take your vermicomposter’s hard workers fishing.  Worms are used to create compost in a vermicomposter. But on the flip side, the container they live in can be stored in a closet or kitchen cabinet so temperatures stay between 40-90F.

So, what method will work for your lifestyle?  With several environmental holidays (and Fathers” Day) right around the corner, challenge your friends, family, neighbors and classmates to give the gift of composting.  Your trees and flowers will say “thank you.”

One of the best parts of composting is that once you have set up the system that works best for you, your garden mulch is now free, and it’s better for your plants than any mulch you can purchase at your local garden center.

Don’t forget, World Bird Sanctuary is open daily from 8am to 5pm.

Submitted by Christina Lavallee, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Thanks for writing this article!! Due to your article I have purchased a cedar vermicomposting box and 1/2 lb of red worms. I cant wait. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

Your friend in Indiana.