1. BJ Frank Fairfax County Master Gardeners Association August 16, 2015 Compost Black Gold

2. 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/ http://www.jora-composter.com/ Slide 42 (the end): has the music from this animation: http://www.eclectech.co.uk/compostbin.php

4. 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 Humus

5. 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!

6. Personal benefits of compositing. Pay to discard waste as garbage and repurchase as soil amendments Compost or

7. Personal benefits of compositing.

8. Civic Pride Personal benefits of compositing.

9. 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.

10. Materials Generated In the Municipal Waste Stream in 2008 Paper and Paperboard55.5% Glass23.1% Plastics12.0% Metals8.4% Food Scraps12.7% Yard Trimmings13.2% 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

11. Garbage generation per person4.5 Recovery for recycling1.1 Recovery for composting*0.4 Total Materials Recovery1.5 Discards after recovery3 Combustion with energy recovery0.57 Discards to landfill, other disposal2.43 Waste generated In pounds per person per day in 2008.

13. Economic Benefits of Composting Compost improves soil, reducing the need for fertilizer Saves the cost of processing waste by incineration and in landfills

14. Public Policy Commitment Enforcement United States Internationally

15. Garbage Disposals Should you use one?

16. 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.

19. 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.

20. 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 ratio The smaller the material the faster the decomposition. Good mulch does not smell bad. It should smell like rich soil or baking bread.

21. Green:Brown Greens: 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.

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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.

25. 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.

26. 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.

27. 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

28. How do you compost? Considerations Convenience, ease of use Cost Speed of decomposition Heat, vents, rotation Yuck factor

29. Compost in Place/Lasagna Method Ruth Stout: No work - no till gardening. Lasagna Method – layering browns and greens.

30. 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

31. Trench Composting (hole in the ground) The Green Cone Composting System $154 + $55 shipping

32. 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

33. 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 County Plastic bins $80 - $260

34. 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:

35. Tumbler Bins Ecomposter $299 Envirocycle mini $129 Mantis $550

36. More Tumbler Bins Compos Tumbler $500 Tumbleweed vertical tumbler $180 Urban Composter vertical tumbler $238 Sun-Mar Continuous Composter $310/$400

37. 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

38. Fully insulated inside Jora Composter composts 25 – 30 liters per week Composts everything, including meat & fish 6 to 8 weeks to Black Gold From Sweden 2 compartments JK270 $365Reaches 167˚ F.

39. 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

40. Nature Mill Indoor Composter 2 weeks to Black Gold! Heats Tumbles Aerates $299 - $399

41. 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