Because incinerators are perilous to the environment and human health, and landfills are becoming scarce, expensive, and in the same way an environmental threat, different efforts in reducing the amount of waste are in place today. Such efforts include composting, a process by which organic waste is made into a soil resource. Organic waste, which includes kitchen and yard garbage, makes up 30% of household waste and if composted would contain the necessary nutrients, microbes, and substances to enrich the soil and benefit the plants. Composting then was only known as a gardening practice, but ever since people became aware of waste and environmental issues, it has become a way of managing organic waste.

There are existing composting efforts on both large and small scales. Many communities, for instance, are running local composting projects using collected organic waste from households. On a smaller scale, many individuals make their own compost at home using different techniques. Regardless of the size of the project, composting should be well-managed in order to produce effective compost.

Organic Waste Composting

Making compost relies mainly on organic waste. Not all organic waste, however, can qualify as material for compost. Diseased plants shouldn’t be piled for compost as they may infect other plants. Although a hot temperature can kill the disease organisms, it is best not to take chances. Unless weeds and grasses, the kinds that tend to stubbornly re-sprout and re-grow, are dead and dry, never add them to the pile. Cat and dog feces are also not best for composting because they may contain disease organisms that are harmful to human health. Pest-attracting kitchen waste, such as meat scraps and bones, shouldn’t as well be included in the compost.

Which organic waste then is a good compost ingredient? Here is a list.

1. Fruit and vegetable peels and other debris are best for composting. Because they are high in nitrogen, they are classified as “green” compost ingredients. Eggshells, tea bags, and other food and kitchen scraps can also be added to the compost pile, providing they won’t attract too many pests.
2. Sawdust is a “brown” compost ingredient, which means it is low in nitrogen. Sawdusts decay in varied speed. Depending on the wood, some sawdusts tend to decay more quickly than the others. When using sawdust as a compost ingredient, make sure it does not come from a chemically-treated wood. If it does, it can potentially contaminate the entire compost, soil, and eventually plants.
3. Leaves are common compost ingredients. Whether dead and dry (“brown”) or living (“green”), leaves are ideal for composting. Actually, forest trees usually thrive on the dead and decaying leaves on forest floors, which cumulatively act as compost. Lawn clippings are also great for composting.

When making compost, it is very important to thoroughly mix all the organic waste so there won’t be clumps that prevent aeration. Brown ingredients are normally best to mix with green ingredients to speed up decay. Other ingredients are also best to use in thin layers.

If every household in every community is managing organic waste by way of composting, the volume of waste will be reduced by 30%. And in a world that is literally threatened by massive waste production, that is a significant number.

Managing Organic Waste Through Composting is a post from: Recycling Guide. Environmental issues have become part of everyday life read more from Pollution to Sustainable Development.

Composting is a naturally occurring process that is the ultimate in recycling and is a great way to learn to respect and love the environment, and it is fun too. In today’s complicated world where everything is connected (from manufacturing to consumption to disposal), waste management takes on several disposal methods (landfills, incineration, recycling, pyrolysis, etc.) because there is as yet no ideal disposal system.

One of these processes is composting.

Composting

Composting happens in nature all the time. These days, composting takes on a new meaning as it becomes one additional method of waste disposal under the bigger umbrella of waste management.

Composting is controlling the decomposition of organic matter in a more scientific manner. The product is compost (humus), and is used in gardening and farming (the industrial kind) by mixing it with the soil. This improves the soil quality, soil structure and brings back the nutrients.

Compost or humus is the end-product of decomposed organic matter as performed primarily by microbes, fungi, molds, and other microorganisms. They are helped by larger creatures like the earthworms, ants, snails, millipedes, sow bugs, slugs and others who consume and break down the organic matter.

Composting

To encourage the microbes, the compost heap should have the correct mix of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and water. If the heap is too wet, it will block the oxygen needed by the bacteria. If the pile is too dry, the bacteria do not have the moisture to survive and reproduce. Nitrogen is needed for the proteins the microbes need.

Decomposition still works even if some ingredients are missing, but not as quickly as is planned. This mix of biodegradable materials is still capable of being completely broken down from the action of microorganisms into carbon dioxide, water and biomass.

Industrial Composting

Together with other advanced processing systems, progressive cities and many urban centers around the world are now installing large-scale composting systems as part of their total urban waste management. In landfills, mechanical sorting of mixed wastes is done along with in-vessel composting called mechanical biological treatment.

Today, biodegradable waste materials are treated before it is dumped into landfills, making it industrial-sized compost pits. This is to help reduce global warming. Untreated materials break down anaerobically and produce gas that includes the greenhouse gas methane.

The size of waste materials is also a significant issue in compostability. Big pieces of wood may not make up for fast composting while saw dust is a good one. Contaminating materials are also dealt with bioremediation and other special composting approaches.

Techniques

There are two composting techniques – active (hot) and passive (cold) composting.

Active composting allows the most effective decomposing bacteria to flourish, killing most pathogens and seeds, and producing usable compost quickly. This is used by most commercial and industrial composting ventures because not only this ensures a higher quality, it also produces fast results.

Most home composters usually employ the passive kind unconsciously – just throw in everything in there and leave it for about a year or two. Some, of course, are extra-religious in their home composting endeavor – monitoring temperatures, regularly turning the soil, adjusting the heap, etc.)

Community Action

Organic materials included in waste sent to landfills produce the dreaded greenhouse gas methane during decomposition. In suburban areas, organic waste materials can be removed from the total stream from the very start – at household levels.

Promoting backyard composting to the community at large can help reduce organic materials (kitchen scraps, other biodegradable materials) thrown out to landfills. This goes a long way in helping decrease the production of greenhouse gases.

Composting is a natural process that recycles decomposed organic material into a rich soil known as “compost” or “humus.  ” It is “cured” or “finished” over a period of time by allowing the compost pile to sit and finish the decomposition process.  Finished compost looks like soil (dark brown and crumbly) and smells like a forest floor.  Once the compost is cured it can be sold for use in farming or gardening.  Demand for finished compost has been increasing.  Potential buyers of compost include landscapers, ornamental crop growers, vegetable growers, golf courses, sod farmers, and gardeners.

Composting is considered a natural form of recycling because it reduces the amount of municipal waste and soil erosion, and improves soil texture, structure, aeration, and fertility.

Composting: A Waste Management Process is a post from: Recycling Guide. Environmental issues have become part of everyday life read more from Pollution to Sustainable Development.

What is the easiest way to divert organic waste away from landfill, and close a lot of landfills for good?

The answer to this is composting. Composting is the natural way to bring left-over organic material back into the nutrient cycle. It also replaces chemical fertilisers and improves the quality of the soil, reducing crop pests, and retaining more moisture in the soil which then means that less watering is needed.

So composting is a good way to divert waste from landfill, but is there real demand for the huge quantities that could be made from the very large proportion of our municipal solid waste which is organic?

No, there are good reasons for concluding that there will never be a large enough demand for it from farmers and gardeners, because there is a huge amount of organic waste in our rubbish from potato peelings to newspapers, cardboard, and even our old non-synthetic clothes.

Composting can also be the first stage toward more sophisticated waste processing technologies such as Anaerobic Digestion, and take us toward a much more sustainable carbon economy which many see as the intermediate step civilisation needs to go through before entering the age of the hydrogen economy.

The vision of a carbon economy leads us toward a need to increase methane production. This is because there will be a demand to produce a lot of methane which can then be processed further into biofuel such as biomethanol and biodiesel – away from dependency on oil as our fuel source – and toward a marvelous new freedom from fossil fuels.

However, just as in most scientific and commercial advances, they work best through evolution rather than revolution, and so it will be with composting. Many nations including the UK, are now composting very successfully, but we appreciate that composting alone will not bring us to the point where we become sustainable.

We realise that we need sustainable renewable fuels very urgently to stop using fossil fuels and reduce the rate of climate change. By building on our success with household green waste and by beginning to compost commercial waste, and food wastes too, we are developing a culture which begins to accept organic waste processing, and not landfilling as the norm. Many successful new businesses have been created to process compost in the UK, and those businesses will naturally seek to develop and diversify.

Composting requires energy, it is a net carbon emitter and it is still not very sustainable for Municipal Solid Wastes. It is not the best use of waste organic matter which can contain a lot of contaminating materials.

So, how can we adapt composting to be a net carbon emissions reducer, or “Carbon Negative” and allow these new business to expand their hard won skills in biowaste processing?

The answer is Anaerobic Digestion for all the organic waste feedstocks suitable for it.

The process of anaerobic digestion (composting without air (oxygen)) uses organic waste materials to produce methane gas. The methane gas produced is a sustainable fuel for direct burning for power generation.

Doing this is carbon positive, it uses only renewable resources, it replaces fossil fuel use. It will reduce climate change.

Put this all together and you have real sustainability. A way of living without climate change, and without jeopardizing the lives of later generations from global warming.

Composting To Reduce Landfill Sites is a post from: Recycling Guide. Environmental issues have become part of everyday life read more from Pollution to Sustainable Development.

If you are not a gardener, you can still make your own compost — you can give it away to family or friends who are gardeners. you can sell it or you can practice random acts of kindness by spreading it on select neighborhood parkways or secluded park corners.

Making quality compost is not difficult. You just need a place to put your compostable matter be it a separate corner of your yard that you designate as your compost heap, or one of the many commercially available compost bins. Compost heaps must be turned and aerated every couple of weeks, and you should follow manufacturer directions for working with a compost bin.

Be forewarned: different compost bins can handle different materials, and most composting systems cannot handle meat, bone or excrement. There are two big problems with composting meat 1) It takes longer to break down than most vegetable matter and 2) Meat attracts scavengers like raccoons an opossum that can spread your compost all over the neighborhood. Compost tumblers are a way to solve both these issues by making it easy to frequently aerate your compost and by being more secure against roaming critters.

Another alternative appropriate for meat and other food waste, the “Green Cone” system, is secure and includes packet of composting enzyme that accelerates the composting process. The Green Cone does not, however, produce compost to be redistributed elsewhere. Instead, it breaks down the contents and lets the nutrients seep into the surrounding earth for a radius of about 15 feet. Ideal placement for a Green Cone would probably be the middle of a vegetable garden. The Green Cone is also capable of handling small amounts of animal excrement.

If you are interested recycling more significant amounts of manure, I would suggest you look up the “Humanure Handbook”. It’s about composting human excrement to reduce stress on sewage treatment plants and the special challenges associated with the process. Pet waste will usually go to a landfill, so following the principles in the handbook to handle pet waste would relieve even more stress on landfills.

Composting Humanure is not for everyone, but it is worth considering.

Does starting a compost pile help save the world? Remember that the less rubbish needs to be taken away in garbage trucks, the less gasoline they use and the less material is sent to the landfill. This is all good.

What can you compost? Vegetable and fruit peels, apple cores, small rodent and rabbit bedding, tea bags, coffee grounds, shredded paper newspaper and cardboard, and egg shells all work. To make good compost, you generally need a mix of 3:1 paper/cardboard to vegetable waste.

A lot of localities now sell compost bins and some will even subsidize the cost for homeowners — people need only ask at their local township or village offices.

If your municipality does not offer compost bins, there are many how-to sites on the Internet with details on how to build your own compost bin. All you typically need is some wood, chicken wire, and a four by four foot carpet remnant to cover your compost pile and retain heat.

And if building your own compost bin is too much work, you can buy one, whether standalone or tumbler, from your local home and garden shop or on the Internet.

Place your trash in, rotate as necessary to aerate, and in six to eighteen months waste that would have gone to the landfill will have transmogrified into one of the most valuable resources for rejuvenating the earth: rich black compost. Composting is the answer to a lot of problems

Composting Secrets Revealed is a post from: Recycling Guide. Environmental issues have become part of everyday life read more from Pollution to Sustainable Development.

Gather leaves every few days when they start to fall. A lawn sweeper is a handy piece of equipment to have around at a time like this. Or, a flexible rake can be used. If the latter, then you need something to carry leaves in. A gunny sack, bushel basket, large cardboard box, or similar equipment does the trick. An old sheet of canvas or other material spread on the ground also works fine. Heap a pile of leaves on it, draw the four corners up, tie, and carry. A lawn cart carries a lot of leaves at one time if it is a large one.

The most practical use for the leaves you gather is as mulch for trees and shrubs. Use the leaves just as they are and pile them around the base of plants up to a foot deep. They hold moisture in and prevent weeds from growing. Acid loving plants like azaleas, camellias, rhododendrons, broad-leaved evergreens, hollies, mountain laurels and Japanese andromedas thrive best with leaf mulch. If you dislike the appearance of whole leaves, run them through a compost shredder. There are several of these on the market and almost any of them will do a good job. They turn leaves into rough shreds, a confetti-like material, or even a coarse powder. The confetti size is probably the best for most uses. They can help when you mulch around plants playing their role in the landscape just as the solar landscape lights do.

Another good way to use leaves is to spade them under. To do this, spread them about six inches deep on the soil, then with a spade go down through them about six inches into the soil. As you lift the spade of soil, let the leaves fall down into the hole, then drop the soil on top of them. This is one of the best ways in the world of loosening up hard-packed garden soil. Best of all, the leaves keep soil loosened up, allowing air and water to enter. As they decompose, they furnish food for valuable soil bacteria and earthworms. All of these help condition and improve soil.

Composting

Composting is another good way to use leaves. This is the way to make that valuable material called leaf mold. To compost leaves, you need a retaining wall. This keeps the sides of the compost pile vertical. To compost leaves, pile them about six inches deep in the composter. Then sprinkle with about one-half inch of garden soil. Add another layer of leaves and another sprinkle of soil until all of the leaves are used up. The purpose of the soil is to furnish bacteria to decompose the leaves and add some soil nutrients they need. If the leaves are dry, sprinkle well with a hose. If you intend to use the leaf mold for other than acid-loving plants, add a thin sprinkle of ground limestone with the soil. This neutralizes the acid in the leaves.

A compost pile started like this in the early fall will furnish leaf mold for spring planting. Screen before using for seed flats or pots. Otherwise, the leaf mold can be used as is for planting or fertilizing garden plants. Properly made leaf mold is a rich, dark-colored material no longer recognizable as leaves. It has the odor of good earth. And the odor is not deceiving, because leaf mold is one of the very best of fertilizers and soil conditioners.

Whether you use leaves as mulch, dig them into the soil, or turn them into leaf mold you will profit thereby. Whatever you do, don’t burn them. Leaves are a part of nature’s harvest. Gather them as you would any other valuable crop. They will give shrubs and bushes new life. They will make garden soil richer than you had dreamed of before. Harvest your leaves… they are valuable, too.

Harvest Your Leaves is a post from: Recycling Guide. Environmental issues have become part of everyday life read more from Pollution to Sustainable Development.

Nonetheless, if you’re looking for a composting toilet, you might be a little overwhelmed by the assortment and the different models currently available. There are virtually dozens of composting toilet manufacturers offering a number of different types and features on compost toilets to select from. However, there are two basic several types of compost toilets you have to choose between: self-contained or split (also known as “remote”).

Self-contained composting toilets are perfect for small homes and spaces. They are not hard to install and are often ready to go right out of the box. There are both electric and non-electric variations available. Electric versions will often have a fan that helps maintain the proper moisture density inside the compost chamber. They also are usually cheaper than the split composting toilet models.

Some of the cons of self-contained versions are the small number of people they can sufficiently assist – most models cannot handle over two people, plus some may only be suitable for one individual to use on a daily basis. They might also seem somewhat bulky, and many models are quite tall and call for a foot stool for use. Several consumers find them tougher to maintain as well, since the smaller size demands more regular monitoring to be sure the compost stays in equilibrium.

Split, or remote, compost toilets are the finest option should you be having multiple people making use of the toilet each day. Having a spit design, the composting chamber will be located in another area of the house (typically directly under the toilet in a basement area) and many models look very similar to a normal flush toilet.

Split compost toilets generally might cost more compared to self-contained models and demand extra set up and plumbing charges. You also want enough space and an appropriate place to install these units in your home. However, when you factor in the savings you should have in water costs as well as sewage or septic system maintenance charges, these units should nevertheless be a great economical option.

In total, by taking into careful consideration the amount of individuals who will be using the compost toilet and also the space available in your home, you will be able to find a composting toilet that works well for you and is the right choice for the environment as well.

Compost Toilet Models is a post from: Recycling Guide. Environmental issues have become part of everyday life read more from Pollution to Sustainable Development.

Composting household waste is essential for many reasons. Composting benefits the surroundings, through changing natural waste into a valuable end-product. It assists to decrease the pressure in trash dumps and will also reduce your private trash collection bill.

Also if you do not have a nice yard or garden to use the compost that you create in, you will probably have neighbors who would welcome the compost in theirs. As well as if you have houseplants, you need to certainly try to use the compost on them – the outcomes is going to be great.

However what should you conduct if you don’t possess a large space to develop a compost pile or put large composting bins? Luckily there are lots of smaller composting bins available these days that can easily fit into a little yard or even on a patio. Almost all of the bins are tumbling composting bins, meaning that you spin them each day which speeds up the composting process. These bins also do a good job of keeping the composting material contained, away from sight, and curbing any scents that can occur.

There are plenty of great reasons to compost your natural waste and residence dwellers do not have to give up the composting process. Actually if you don’t have a small composting bin or want to purchase one, you must consult your local city hall to find out if the city you live in will compost your waste for you personally. Some cities are now offering specific bins similar to common recycling bins for collecting organic waste.

Composting For Small Spaces is a post from: Recycling Guide. Environmental issues have become part of everyday life read more from Pollution to Sustainable Development.

Once your spot is picked out then it’s time to start composting. Start with a nice layer of sticks or some kind of course material. This will supply good aeration from the bottom of the pile.

The next layer start with green matter. There is really no good reason to start with green matter you can just as easily start with brown matter but you are going to alternate to make layers.

Green matter items from your kitchen, fruit peels, vegetables, coffee grounds and there filters, nut shells. Just about any kitchen waste will qualify.

Brown matter is the items that will come from outside. Leaves, sawdust, wood chips, paper items (simple black and white print only), and sticks laying around in the yard.

After these two layers add another aeration layer. hay, sticks, straw or anything else course you can think of.

After the materials have been added put a little dampness on the pile. Not to much though think of a damp sponge.

You might add a handful of dirt every once in a while as dirt contains microbes that will help kick the compost process into gear.

Then after you build a compost pile you will just need to be patient. You will have rich compost to spread over your plants in no time.

When the items break down compost will be formed. But it does take a little while so you will need to be patient. Your garden will love compost fertilizer, it’s worth the wait. Click here for Free information on how to build a compost

Facts on Building a Compost Pile is a post from: Recycling Guide. Environmental issues have become part of everyday life read more from Pollution to Sustainable Development.

Once most of the leaves have fallen, rake them all up into a big pile. Make sure the leaves are dry, and shred them. You can use your lawn mower, a leaf shredder or a wood chipper shredder, but you won’t get good results unless the leaves are dry.

Your next step is to place the shredded leaves in your compost bin. Fill it to about 12 to 18 inches in depth, then add the urea or some grass clippings if you have any around. Then add a small amount of water to this pile. Leaves should be damp, but not soaking wet.

Continue building up layers in the same manner, first the leaves, then the grass or urea, then some water. Once the bin is full, cover is securely, either with the supplied lid or a plastic tarp, so that rain and snow can’t get in, and neither can small animals.

Over the winter, you don’t need to do anything to your composting material. At the end of winter or in early spring, around March, use a pitchfork to gently turn the composting material over. By doing so you will be exposing the buried materials to the air. Now cover it up once again.

The mulch should be ready for use by the time it’s warm enough to start planting your garden. If you prefer compost instead of mulch, just let it sit a little while longer. The only real difference between mulch and compost is the degree of decay of the organic materials. Compost is more like soil in texture, while mulch is still fairly solid in composition. What you want for your gardening needs is a personal preference.

Making compost and mulch from fallen leaves is easy and can be an enjoyable way to fulfill your gardening needs.

In order to shred your leaves for mulch, why not run them through one of those wood chippers shredders that you can buy or rent. Not only will these machines break up the leaves, but you can throw in all those dead branches at the same time for some terrific mulch to keep your garden protected over the winter.

Using Leaves For Compost And Mulch is a post from: Recycling Guide. Environmental issues have become part of everyday life read more from Pollution to Sustainable Development.

Once upon a time, when most people had a garden in their backyard there would also be a compost pile, a pile of rubbish and clippings that provided black gold. Not, oil but rich soil that was used in gardens to add nutrients to increase vegetable production.

What Is Compost?

What is composting? Well, it is the “aerobic decomposition of biodegradable organic matter which produces compost”, in other words it is decaying food (mostly vegetable or fruit) and other green matter. Composting is a form of recycling because it down cycles organic household, yard wastes, and manures to useful soil or hummus. It does return needed organic matter and nutrients to the soil and it helps reduce “green” waste in the landfills.

Composting Terms

There are certain words used when speaking of composting technology. A few of these are:

Compostable This is biodegradable material that when put under composting conditions breaks down into carbon dioxide, methane, water, and compost biomass. However, size does make a difference to a timely compostable. For example, a whole piece of hardwood would take a long time to break down, but the sawdust of such would be a lot easier.

Compost-compatible These particles are not compostable or even biodegradable but they do not have an adverse effect on the compost. As a matter of fact, most compost has traces of these materials, sand particles and small plastic bits are commonly found.

Biodegradable Materials that are capable of being broken down completely into carbon dioxide, water, and biomass. Some materials make time a long time, but eventually they will.

How Is It Done?

There are different ways to compost and some are more effective then others. Regardless your style, the technology stays the same. Food and green waste will eventually break down and you can use it within your garden, yard, and under bushes and trees. If you have the correct ratio of certain elements, then you will have compost in no time and with little decaying smell. Suitable compost ingredients with high carbon content are: dry straw material, autumn leaves, sawdust, wood chips, paper, or corrugated cardboard. Suitable compost ingredients with high nitrogen content are: vegetable and fruit peelings, coffee grounds, or herbivore manure (cow, rabbit, horse, or chicken).

It is a fact that American’s landfill waste is compiled of 60% compostable or recycled materials but less then 6% is recycled or composted. Composting was once historically for gardeners or farmers but now it is considered a necessity for saving our landfill space.

Help Your Soil Become Rich With Composting is a post from: Recycling Guide. Environmental issues have become part of everyday life read more from Pollution to Sustainable Development.