Composting_
Combined with yard trimmings, food scraps make up a quarter of our waste generation. This means 62 million tons of organic material is being thrown out each year.
While yard trimmings have a high rate of recovery, food scraps are generally not reclaimed. Only a little over 2% of food is diverted from the landfill or incinerator.
Landfills are designed to keep out water and air, so biodegration of organic material is slowed considerably. This means your banana might last twelve years in a landfill compared to the normal three weeks on
the ground.
Composting is a great way to start reclaiming your food waste. You can get a nice compost bin to start with or use chicken wire. The nice bins do accelerate the process though.
The KRC has the Earth Machine compost bin available for $60 complete with instructions. Call us today at 865.525.9694 for more information.
Quick Facts:
>> Composting improves soil structure.
>> Microbes found in compost are able to degrade some toxic organic compounds, including petroleum.
>> Compost can bind heavy metals and other contaminants, thus preventing them from getting into the plants.
>> Compost is a man made invention. While nature does biodegrade things, it does not pile them. The piles accelerate the process.
Zach says:
December 10, 2008 at 12:24 pmAny tips for keeping the compost functioning during the winter? Mine seems to have slowed down.
Education says:
July 16, 2009 at 11:28 amZack, it’s natural for it to slow down considerably in the winter. Be sure to keep it covered so it doesn’t get soaked with all the extra rain.
I’m not sure what kind of bin or pile you have going, but a black plastic works really well. It’ll keep the pile warmer – the cold is why it has slowed down so much. If you want a natural insulator, straw works well to keep the heat in.
Also keep adding material. The bigger the pile is, the higher the temperature will get.
Other than that, just wait it out until warmer weather.
Zach says:
February 27, 2009 at 4:00 pmBased on the various sources of information I’ve read, I can’t decide if I should allow maggots to inhabit my compost or not. Some people say they are helpful, breaking down compost fast (which I’ve seen first hand), while others say that maggots are more of a nuisance. Do you have any insight on this matter?
Education says:
March 2, 2009 at 10:57 amZach, maggots are part of the decomposition process. They should be fine in the compost. The only serious issues arise with livestock. Try to keep pets and other animals away from the maggots in your pile.
Kevin says:
September 30, 2009 at 9:51 amBlack Soldier Fly Larvae (type of maggot) are great and can digest dairy, meat, and oils. Good or bad, they can reduce the mass of material by 80+%. This is good if you are just trying to get rid of waste, less good if you want a large quantity of quality compost.
Zach says:
June 16, 2009 at 3:14 pmWell, looks like I’m the only one with composting questions. Could you explain why most lists keep things like meat, greese, and dairy out of compost piles?
Education says:
August 31, 2009 at 10:05 amMainly because dairy, meats, and grease attract rodents, and no one wants rats!
Kevin says:
September 30, 2009 at 10:57 amAdd to that is the smell as those materials putrefy. This isn’t as big a problem if your compost spot is not in a regularly frequented location. If you have a large maggot population, they will digest those materials before they putrefy.