Composting

Composting is often described as nature’s way of recycling, is the biological process of breaking up of organic waste

Compost

Source: www.green2go.org. Author: green2go.org. Permission: .

such as food waste, manure, leaves, grass trimmings, paper, worms, and coffee grounds, etc., into an extremely useful humus-like substance by various micro-organisms including bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes in the presence of oxygen.¹ Composting is most often a natural process that continuously occurs in nature, often without any assistance from mankind. Both living plants and annual plants that die at the end of the season are consumed by animals of all sizes, from larger mammals, birds, and rodents to worms, insects, and microscopic organisms. The result of this natural cycle is compost, a combination of digested and undigested food that is left on the forest floor to create rich, usually soft, sweet-smelling soil. ²

Types of composting

Aerobic composting: - This means to compost with air. High nitrogen waste (like grass clippings or other green material) will grow bacteria that will create high temperatures (up to 160 degrees). Organic waste will break down quickly and is not prone to smell.

This type of composting is high maintenance, since it will need to be turned every couple days to keep air in the system and your temperatures up. It is also likely to require accurate moisture monitoring. This type of compost is good for large volumes of compost.

Anaerobic composting: - This is composting without air. Anaerobic composting is low maintenance since you simply throw it in a pile and wait a couple years. If you just stack your debris in a pile it will generally compact to the point where there is no available air for beneficial organisms to live.

Instead you will get a very slow working bacteria growing that does not require air. Your compost may take years to break down (this is what happens when you throw your food waste in the garbage that goes to the landfill). Anaerobic composts create the awful smell most people associate with composting. The bacteria break down the organic materials into harmful compounds like ammonia and methane.

Vermicomposting: - This is most beneficial for composting food waste. Along with red worms, this includes composting with bacteria, fungi, insects, and other bugs.

Some of these guests break down the organic materials for the others to eat. Red worms eat the bacteria, fungi, and the food waste, and then deposit their castings. Oxygen and moisture are required to keep this compost healthy.

This is medium maintenance compost since you need to feed your red worms and monitor the conditions.³

How to make compost

Start with a good layer of coarse organic material, such as straw, leaves or pruning at the bottom to allow air to circulate.
Add a good layer of nitrogen-rich green material followed by one layer of carbon-rich brown material, until the bin is full.
Compost requires air. Turn and stir your compost weekly so the organism get necessary oxygen.
Compost requires moisture. Water your compost bin frequently, to ensure it stays a moist as a wrung-out sponge.
Give it time - In 12-18 months, material at the bottom and middle of the bin should be composted. Use this throughout your garden. Use the uncomposted material to start a new batch. Chipping or chopping the material can increase the speed of the process. Regular aeration is key to successful composting.⁴

How to Make Compost

Source: www.richmond.ca/services/recycling/Composting.htm. Author: City of Richmond . Permission: .

What to Compost

* Animal manure
* Cardboard rolls
* Clean paper
* Coffee grounds and filters
* Cotton rags
* Dryer and 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
* Wool rags
* Yard trimmings

What NOT to Compost

Coal or charcoal ash

* Might contain substances harmful to plants

Dairy products (e.g., butter, milk, sour cream, yogurt) and eggs

* Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and flies

Diseased or insect-ridden plants

* Diseases or insects might survive and be transferred back to other plants

Fats, grease, lard, or oils

* Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and flies

Meat or fish bones and scraps

* Create odor problems and attract pests such as 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

Compost Tea

Compost tea is a liquid solution or suspension made by steeping compost in water. It is used as both a fertilizer and in attempts to prevent plant diseases.

By using compost tea to replace chemical-based fertilizers, pesticides, and fungicides, you can garden safer and be more protective of the environment. Compost tea:

* Increases plant growth
* Provides nutrients to plants and soil
* Provides beneficial organisms
* Helps to supress diseases
* Replaces toxic garden chemicals⁵

6 Easy Steps to Make Compost Tea

1.) Fill a bucket 1/3 full of compost.

Compost Tea

Source: http://www.homecompostingmadeeasy.com/composttea.html. Author: Home Composting Made Easy. Permission: .

2.) Fill the rest of the bucket with water.

3.) Let the mixture steep for up to 10 days, stirring at least once a day.

4.) Strain the mixture using cheesecloth or other porous materials like burlap or an old shirt.

5.) Dilute the remaining water using at least a 10:1 water to liquid compost ratio.

6.) Use tea as quickly as possible. Use a spray bottle for leaves and poor from bucket onto root systems.⁶

Benefits and Advantages of Compost Towards Mitigation of Climate Change

*Significantly reduces the amount of solid waste that would otherwise make it into the trash collection and dumping cycle.

* Suppresses plant diseases and pests.
* Reduces or eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers.
* Promotes higher yields of agricultural crops.
* Facilitates reforestation, wetlands restoration, and habitat revitalization efforts by amending contaminated, compacted, and marginal soils.
* Cost-effectively remediates soils contaminated by hazardous waste.
* Removes solids, oil, grease, and heavy metals from stormwater runoff.
* Captures and destroys 99.6 percent of industrial volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) in contaminated air.
* Provides cost savings of at least 50 percent over conventional soil, water, and air pollution remediation technologies, where applicable.⁷

Barriers and disadvantages

*Depending on geography and seasonal climate, it can be difficult to find a consistent supply of green manure throughout the year.

*Takes weeks to months for materials to turn into organic fertilizer.

*If not managed correctly can create a very noxious smell.

*If not contained correctly can attract animals.

Powered by Climate Lab

Composting

Types of composting

How to make compost

What to Compost

What NOT to Compost

Compost Tea

6 Easy Steps to Make Compost Tea

Benefits and Advantages of Compost Towards Mitigation of Climate Change

Barriers and disadvantages

Footnotes

Resources