bj frank fairfax county master gardeners association august 16, 2015 compost black gold
TRANSCRIPT
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BJ FrankFairfax County Master Gardeners AssociationApril 21, 2023
Compost
Black
Gold
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Note to Master Gardeners: This presentation contains movie clips which probably won’t play in this uploaded version.
35: film clip of the ecomposter found here:http://www.ecomposter.net/Lang1/pages.aspx?p=3
38: film clip of the Jora composter found here: http://www.jora-composter.com/
Slide 42 (the end): has the music from this animation:http://www.eclectech.co.uk/compostbin.php
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What is compost?
Rotten garbage and yard waste used to improve soil structure and provide nutrients to plants.
A mixture of decaying organic matter used to improve soil structure and provide nutrients to plants.
equals
equals
Humus
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Why do we compost?
• Personal benefits.• Environmental benefits.• Economic benefits.
According to Sierra Club Green Home, of the 31 million tons of food waste Americans throw away each year, only 3% is recycled!
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Personal benefits
of compositing.
Pay to discard waste as garbage and
repurchase as soil amendments
Compost
or
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Personal benefits
of compositing.
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Civic Pride
Personal benefits of compositing.
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Environmental benefits
America’s largest landfill: Apex, Las Vegas, Nevada, storing nearly 50 million tons of rotting trash.
Composting reduces pollution caused by noxious gases and contaminated wastewater.
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Materials Generated In the Municipal Waste Stream in
2008 Paper and Paperboard
55.5%
Glass 23.1%
Plastics 12.0%
Metals 8.4%
Food Scraps 12.7%
Yard Trimmings 13.2%U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2009, November). Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the U.S. Detailed Tables and Figures for 2008. Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery. www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw2008data.pdf
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Garbage generation per person 4.5
Recovery for recycling 1.1
Recovery for composting* 0.4
Total Materials Recovery 1.5
Discards after recovery 3
Combustion with energy recovery 0.57
Discards to landfill, other disposal 2.43
Waste generated In pounds per person per day in 2008.
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Economic Benefits of Composting
• Compost improves soil, reducing the need for fertilizer
• Saves the cost of processing waste by incineration and in landfills
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Public Policy
• Commitment• Enforcement• United States• Internationally
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Garbage Disposals
Should you use one?
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Garbage Disposals
Any “waste” that can’t be put back to use - either through reuse, recycling, or composting - becomes pollution that’s expensive to deal with and takes its toll on the environment. www.sierraclubgreenhome.com/go-green/appliances/garbage-disposals/
Create a waste water treatment problem
Banned in many European countries – an American device.
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Enforcement
Recycling is the law in the City of Falls Church. Yard waste must be in a brown bag with a sticker (50¢ each) on each bag. Violations of the code result in a civil penalty of $100 applies to the first violation and $150 for each subsequent violation.
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How composting works.
Decomposition is based on:•Air: ventilation speeds the process•Water: enough to keep moist but not mushy•Rotation: turning speeds the process•Heat: a minimum pile temperature of 131°F for 3 days will destroy weed seeds and plant pathogens. •Carbon/nitrogen (green/brown) 25:1 or 30:1 ratioThe smaller the material the faster the decomposition. Good mulch does not smell bad. It should smell like rich soil or baking bread.
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Green:BrownGreens: high in nitrogen (proteins). Feed the microbes so they grow and multiply fast, creating hot compost piles. Usually moist.
Browns: high in carbon (carbohydrates. Feed the microbes. Absorb bad odors and help prevent organic nitrogen in the compost from escaping by evaporation or leaching. Usually dry matter.
To approximate 30:1, just add 2 parts green to 1 part
brown.
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Is it Green or Brown
Browns•Leaves, dead or dry. •Hay •Straw•Paper & cardboard •Tea Bags •Sawdust and wood pellets •Wood Ashes
Don’t know? Wet it and wait a couple days. If it stinks, it’s green. If not, it’s brown.
Greens•Living green leaves•Fresh garden clippings•Fruit and vegetable waste•Coffee grounds•Fresh manure•Grass clippings
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Materials to Compost• Animal manure• Cardboard rolls• Clean paper• Coffee grounds and filters• Cotton & wool rags• Dryer & 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• Yard trimmings
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Materials NOT to Compost
• Black walnut tree leaves or twigs. – Releases substances that might be harmful
to plants.• Coal or charcoal ash. –Might contain substances harmful to plants.
• Dairy products and eggs. – Creates odor problems & attracts pests like
rodents and flies.• Fats, grease, lard, or oils. – Creates odor problems & attracts pests like
rodents and flies.
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More Materials NOT to Compost
• Diseased or insect-ridden plants. – Diseases or insects might survive and
harm plants.• Meat or fish bones and scraps. – Creates odor problems & attracts pests
like 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.
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Wood Pellets• Made from wood mill scraps
and used in pellet stoves, as animal bedding, as kitty litter.
• Add to compost to balance browns and greens.
• Inexpensive. Convenient.
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Health Considerations
• Do not compost raw poultry or meat wastes, pet feces, and plate scrapings from people who are ill.
• Keep your compost hot to reduce pathogens. If dusty, water it.
• Use good personal hygiene when handling compost. Wash hands after handling compost and/or use gloves.
• If possible, let compost age for at least a year before use. http://cwmi.css.cornell.edu/smallscaleguidance.pdf
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How do you compost?
Considerations• Convenience, ease of use• Cost• Speed of decomposition
• Heat, vents, rotation
• Yuck factor
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Compost in Place/Lasagna Method
• Ruth Stout: No work - no till gardening.
• Lasagna Method – layering browns and greens.
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Compost in Place/Lasagna Method
Pros•Most basic, easy•Convenient•Free•Accepts most materials
Cons• Can attract rodents• Speed: Slow, 8 – 12
months• Can be unsightly• Yuck factor
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Trench Composting (hole in the ground)
The Green ConeComposting System$154 + $55 shipping
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Trench Composting
• Pros:– Almost free,
cost of labor– Hidden– Accepts most
materials
• Cons:– Laborious- lots of
work to turn, and transport.
– Inconvenient– Speed: slow 1 – 2
years– Yuck factor
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Box - Wooden, wire or plastic.
Free to $10 Up to $90
Low cost, if you do it yourself,
otherwise, up to $200
$17 from Arlington CountyPlastic bins $80 - $260
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Box - Wooden, wire or plastic.
Pros•Low cost•Convenient
Cons•Laborious. Must turn by hand. Hard to transport composted material.•May be unsightly.•Not rodent-proof•Limited acceptable materials•Speed: slow to medium 4 – 6 months or more•Yuck factor:
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Tumbler Bins
Ecomposter$299
Envirocycle mini $129
Mantis $550
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More Tumbler Bins
Compos Tumbler$500 Tumbleweed
vertical tumbler $180
Urban Composter vertical tumbler
$238
Sun-Mar Continuous Composter $310/$400
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Tumblers Bins
Pros•Low cost•Convenient •Rodent-proof•Speed: medium, 6 – 8 months •Yuck factor
Cons•Cost - $80 - $550•May be difficult to turn•Limited acceptable materials, no citrus or meat•Doors may not seal•Can leak•May be unsightly
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Fully insulated inside
Jora Composter
composts25 – 30
liters per week
Composts everything, including meat & fish
6 to 8 weeks to
Black Gold
From Sweden
2 compartment
s
JK270 $365
Reaches 167˚ F.
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Jora Composter
Pros•Convenient, easy•Sturdy•Rodent-proof•Speed: fast•Can compost everything!•High temperature kills pathogens and weed seeds•Yuck factor: zero!
Cons•Expensive, $285/$365
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Nature Mill Indoor Composter
2 weeks to Black Gold!
HeatsTumblesAerates$299 - $399
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Nature Mill Composter
Pros•Convenient•Speed: fast, 2 weeks•Rodent-proof•Yuck factor: zero!
Cons•Expensive $299 - $399•Small capacity•Takes space in kitchen•Uses electricity•Limited acceptable materials – no citrus•Can be drippy
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