Simply put, composting is the purposeful biodegradation of organic matter or “green waste”, such as yard and food wastes. The decomposition is performed by microorganisms and insects (this is where bugs are good!) such as ants, worms, fruit flies, and even gnats! Compost is created by combining organic wastes into piles, rows or vessels and adding the proper amounts of air and water to allow for the material to break down and stabilize. Mature compost is a stable material with content called humus, which is dark brown or black and has a soil-like, earthy smell.
The aerobic (breakdown with oxygen present) composting organisms are bacteria, fungi, and protozoa that naturally occur in waste. Composting has been naturally occurring since the first plants on earth started to drop their leaves, and they slowly decay to provide minerals and nutrients needed for plants, animals and microorganisms.
Composting upcycles wastes by reusing them at the end of their formal useful life for something else, and avoiding disposal. Composting is becoming increasingly more important and better understood as a tool for reducing municipal solid waste (MSW) and the amount of green waste going to landfills. Because yard and food waste often constitutes 15-30% of the waste we generate at home, and is managed best by composting, many communities divert yard waste to compost sites to conserve valuable landfill space. The decomposition of organic matter (green waste) in landfills is the principle cause of methane gas, which is a greenhouse gas, making reduction of organic waste a key element to fighting global climate change.
Backyard compost piles can be managed in such a way that the critical conditions for success are optimized to insure quick and successful compost. Home composting can be pretty simple, so long as several key factors are understood; such as the difference between biodegradable and compostable materials. A biodegradable material is capable of being completely broken down under the action of microorganisms into CO2 (carbon dioxide), water and biomass. The key is TIME! Eventually, when left alone most things will break down, but will it happen in a few months or a few hundred years? A compostable material biodegrades quickly and substantially under specific conditions, where microorganisms metabolize (eat) the material and the result is a humus like product, or biomass.
When preparing to backyard compost, you want to be sure that you put compostable materials in your bin or pile to be sure that all the materials will decompose at a similar rate. Also, to help speed the process up, mechanically break down the ingredients. For example, don’t put branches into your pile as they will take longer to decay, but if you chip them up smaller or use saw dust the wood will decompose at the same rate as the rest of the pile.
The expression “Compost Happens”, is very true (think a forest floor full of leaves), but it is helpful to engineer the best possible circumstances for organic waste to decompose quickly and efficiently. Leaving a food and yard waste heap to “happen” in your yard may result in odor and other vectors such as rodents, with little beneficial material.
How To Do It Right:
Composting requires four (4) vital elements to work effectively and quickly. The amount of each of the four elements added will help produce beneficial bacteria and nutrients to work at a rate that will heat up the pile. Mature compost involves the generation of high temperatures which are necessary to destroy pathogens and weed seeds. In that process, much water will be released as vapor or steam, and oxygen levels deplete, which is why it is necessary to mix the pile often. Below is a summary of the four (4) required elements for successful composting:
- CARBON (C): is the source of energy and produces heat. High carbon materials are usually dry and brown such as wood chips, saw dust, straw and leaves. (Note: Paper and cardboard are ok, but it is best to put these materials in your recycle bin because of the pigments, clays and other fillers present in the paper. Also, paper degrades slower and may affect the entire pile.)
- NITROGEN (N): is the protein to grow and produce more organisms to oxidize carbon. Nitrogen rich materials tend to be green or colorful and wet, such as fruits and veggies and grass.
- OXYGEN (O2): is also needed for oxidizing the carbon, which fuels the decomposition process.
- WATER (H2O): helps maintain activity aerobically. Your compost pile should be as moist as a wrung out sponge.
The hotter the pile gets, the more air and water are needed to make sure the conditions remain aerobic. If your pile goes anaerobic it means there is little to no oxygen in the pile and it will begin to smell rotten and skunk-like. Air and water are critical to maintaining high temps until the material is broken down. Keep in mind that too much air and water could also slow down the process.
Setting up for successful backyard composting:
There is no wrong way to home composting, eventually everything will decompose. Making a bin helps the process along to make sure that great compost is created and odors and pests are eliminated. To make your own bin you can use wire mesh, snow fencing, wood, bricks or even an old garbage can with holes in the bottom to enclose the pile, or just make a pile! Anyway you do it, try to keep your pile to 3 feet wide by 3 feet tall. You can make it as long as you want too, but having the proper height and width is important to keeping the heat in the pile, which is a critical part of the composting process.
First, site your compost area by finding a convenient location, such as your garden or a corner of your yard. Your compost pile doesn’t have to be huge. Once your location is picked, begin adding your stuff. Use the chart below to add one part Column A for every three parts Column B. When adding to your pile or bin, use a shovel or a pitchfork to mix your materials together for faster composting. Prior to adding materials, if you have the means (lawn mower with bag, or branch chipper) shred the materials prior to adding. Take note of the moisture level of your pile; it should be as moist as a wrung out sponge. If it is dry, add water to it, which may have to do this monthly. If the pile is wet, add some more Colum B material. Water is critical to keeping the pile aerobic and maintaining healthy microorganisms.
What to add to your Compost Pile |
|
Column A |
Column B |
Grass Clippings |
Twigs/Wood Chips |
Veggie and Fruit peelings |
Leaves |
|
|
Coffee Grounds and Filters |
Saw dust |
Egg Shells |
Tea bags |
Pond Algae |
Yard Trimmings |
Houseplants |
Cardboard rolls (from paper towels or toilet paper) |
Never mind putting anything in from the column below.
What not to add to your Compost Pile |
Why not? |
Black Walnut tree leaves or twigs |
Releases substances that might be harmful to plants |
Coal or charcoal ash |
May contain substances harmful to plants |
Dairy products (butter, egg yolks, milk, yogurt) |
Creates odor problems and attracts 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 and/or oils |
Creates odor problems and attracts pests such as rodents and flies |
Meat or Fish bones and scraps |
Creates odor problems and attracts pests such as rodents and flies. |
Pet wastes (dog and 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. |
Backyard Composting Tips:
- It is bests to reduce the size of the stuff you put in your compost pile or bin and mix the materials each time you add more. When adding new materials, try to keep them in a 6-8 inch layer.
- If you can, always cover with Nitrogen rich or green materials like grass clippings. Sometimes it is best to have a stash of grass clippings on hand next to the pile or bin for this.
- Avoid putting fatty proteins like oils, meats, and dairy products in your bin or pile.
- If a pile is mixed to an adequate Carbon to Nitrogen ratio, the pile could reach 140o F in one day!
- If the temperature falls, more air is needed. To get more air, simply stir up your pile. Turn your pile over weekly for the best results.
- Regular mixing helps decompose all the materials as the center of the pile is hottest and the outside is coolest.
- If you have a source of soil, add some with the other ingredients because it helps the earthworms digest and binds the humus like compost with soil for easy use.
- Agricultural lime isn’t always necessary. Lime is used by farmers and gardeners to neutralize the soil, however when composting the bacteria prefer slightly acidic conditions. When the composting process in complete, the result will be a near neutral product.
Vermicomposting
Vermicomposting uses red worms to breakdown organic wastes. Through this method, red worms are placed in a bin with organic matter where they digest the organic wastes into compost called castings. Worm bins are easy to construct and are also available commercially and can be adapted to accommodate the volume of food scraps generated.
Worms will eat close to anything, such as vegetable scraps, fruit peels and scraps, coffee grounds and filters, plant clippings and leaves, crushed egg shells, stale bread and grains, tea bags, and untreated paper towels and tissue paper. Worm bins are best to be kept out of direct sunlight, and in a cool shady area that is between 55-75 degrees (like a garage or basement).
A worm bin can be any container that has a lid and is anywhere between 8-16 inches deep. Worms are surface feeders, so you don’t want anything that is too deep. The general rule of thumb for sizing worm bins is 2 square feet per person. So for a family of 4, you will want 8 square feet or a bin that is 1 foot deep, 4 feet long and 2 feet wide. A washtub, dish pan, shipping crate, and similar items are all good examples of a container to use. A lid is necessary for your bin to keep out rodents and flies. Be sure to poke holes in the bottom of your bin for drainage and ventilation.
Worms need bedding to move around in. Black and white newspapers works best, but avoid using the advertisements. Tear the paper into strips and moisten them so they are as damp as a wrung out sponge. Together with the bedding, add a handful of topsoil and a handful of ground limestone or well crushed eggs shells for calcium. After you have added the bedding materials, add the worms and then slowly begin adding their food source (food scraps, leaves, grass, coffee grounds, etc.). Worms have a big appetite and they reproduce quickly, which helps them thrive in confinement. To start only buy 1 pound of worms and based on the amount of food you are giving them, they will reproduce as necessary.
Once the worm population increases, begin adding larger quantities of food waste. Bury the waste into the bedding regularly. After 3-6 months you may notice the bedding has been eaten, which is your cue to begin harvesting the brown, crumbly worm compost. Harvesting the worm castings and adding fresh bedding is required about 2 times per year to keep your worms healthy and happy.
There are three ways to harvest your worm castings.
- Method 1: Move the contents of your worm bin to one side, place fresh bedding in an empty spot and bury the food wastes over there for one month. Harvest the castings from the side where there is no food, as the worms would have migrated over to the where the food is.
- Method 2: Remove a little less than half of the bin contents, including the worms, and add to garden soil. Add fresh bedding and food to the bin.
- Method 3: Spread out a plastic sheet and dump contents into several piles. The worms will crawl to the center away from the light. All you do is brush away the compost by hand until there are only the worms remaining. Put the worms, fresh bedding, and food back into the bin and repeat the process again in several months.
Worm compost is not like other compost. It is more nutrient rich, so think of it as concentrated, and when using worm castings, use them sparingly. Below are uses for worm castings:
- As mulch around plants: apply a ¾-1 inch layer on soil around plants (don’t pile against stems).
- As a soil amendment: spread a two inch later over garden soil and mix in before planting, or mix in bottom of seed trenches or transplanting holes.
- Sprinkle around the base of houseplants.
- Mix 1 part worm castings with 3 parts potting mix, for use as a potting mix. Sand, peat moss, pearlite are also good to mix with.
Is something wrong? Check here for some troubleshooting tips if your worms are dying or if your bin starts to stink or is attracting flies.
Dying Worms:
1. There may not be enough food. To fix: bury more food into the bedding
2. They may be too dry. To fix: moisten bedding in the box until damp.
3. They may be too wet. To fix: add more bedding.
4. The worms may be too hot. To fix: place bin in a cooler place or put in the shade.
5. The bedding is gone (eaten). To fix: add more fresh, moist bedding.
Bin is Stinky:
2. Non-compostables may be present such as greasy food or pet feces. To fix: remove them.
3. The food may be exposed in bin. To fix: make sure the lid is secure, cover food scraps with bedding.
Large Scale Composting:
Several local communities compost on a much larger scale when compared to backyard composting. The available feedstock, or compostable materials, is much greater so greater land area and machinery is used to add to and mix the pile.
Thermophillic composting is aerobic composting that take place at high temperatures, which are essential to kill the pathogens that are found in meat and other animal products, dairy products, eggs, oils, manure from non-herbivores (i.e. dogs), and solids from waste water treatment operations. When high temps are reached and sustained, harmful pathogens are eliminated and the resultant compost can be applied as a fertilizer. Thermophillic composting is often conducted in a closed environment to create ideal conditions allowing the bacteria to thrive.
There are two permitted composting facilities in Niagara County; the City of Lockport’s Sludge Composting Plant and the Town of Newfane’s Sludge Composting Facility. At these composting facilities, specifically known as Biosolids beneficial use facilities, Biosolids are mixed with bulking agents in the form of wood ships obtained from various municipal and commercial sources to create compost. The resultant compost, which is high in organic matter but low in nutrient content, is then used for landscaping on residential and commercial property. It is estimated that these two facilities together produce about 9,200 cubic yards of compost annually.
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