Composting A solution that has Weight!

Transcription

1 Restigouche Solid Waste Corporation Composting A solution that has Weight! Backyard Composting A solution that has weight! Contents 1.0 Introduction Responsibility Voluntary Effort Backyard Composting The Pilot Project Costs Incurred & Return Value Observations Conclusion Initiative Data & Tables Resources Internet Links... 6

2 1.0 Introduction We often take things for granted and forget how little it takes to make a difference, even if just within the confines of our own county. Pressing issues with the environment fuelled change for a greener perspective on our planet. The 3 R s of Recycling are familiar to anyone from an urban region. Reduce, re-use, and finally, recycle. Metro and urban areas have implemented various programs and have enacted by-laws to reduce their Municipal Solid Waste output some impractical in a county as wide and rural as ours why shouldn t we follow? To determine the viability of one option, we ve let 40 families reach out to us and put them in the driver s seat for eight weeks. 1.1 Responsibility It is a global responsibility to reduce our environmental footprint reducing garbage is more than meets the eye at first glance. The Restigouche Solid Waste Corporation operates the Restigouche Transfer Station a central facility for collection vehicles and individuals - where all waste from the municipal (MSW), construction (C&D) and commercial (ICI) sectors is then, on average 3 times daily, hauled to Red Pine Sanity Landfill on a tractor-trailer truck. Every step that your garbage must take from your curbside to the landfill has costs capital must be spent to keep the collection vehicles road worthy; carbon dioxide and toxic substances released from the combustion of fossil fuels are released in the atmosphere would it not be more economic to simply reduce waste? 1.2 Voluntary Effort Everybody is aware of how to recycle: bottles, cans, paper and metals all go in their respective containers. The biggest effort here is making the choice to go green. Recycling isn t all simple, however. Reducing is the least costly option. Re-using sits in the middle with handling and processing costs while on the other hand, recycling assumes the substances must be shipped, processed and then most likely transformed into another product far from cheap. 1

3 2.0 Backyard Composting Bottles, cans, plastics, metals, paper, cardboard, wood; most products can be re-used or recycled somehow yet every person produces organic waste that is generally thrown away or, as was observed in families with pets, given to the dog. Nature already has all the tools it needs to biodegrade organic waste; everything returns to earth eventually. Decomposer bacteria along with commonly seen insects oversee the process to make sure everything works properly. Compost is the end product of that natural process in other words: a soil enhancer made from your garbage. Common sense dictates that composted waste is essentially diverted from going to a sanitary landfill. According to the NB Solid Waste Association, composting can reduce garbage by 30%. 2.1 The Pilot Project Over the course of 8 weeks in the summer 2010, we asked 40 families to use the Earth Machine composter provided to them and in turn to update us weekly on how much waste they ve put in it. Since there can be no bad compost if just a few straightforward steps are followed, everyone interviewed had not only succeeded in starting a compost pile each observed that their garbage output was noticeably reduced. To demonstrate the simplicity of the concept we held training sessions where participants learned how to use their Earth Machine in a half hour s time. This is the approach we followed. Determine what can be composted Degradable waste weighed then disposed of in composter Observed reduced output at collection days Observed weight of discarded waste Resulting compost used by families and individuals as they wish 2

4 2.2 Costs Incurred & Return Value Composting is essentially a cost effective method of encompassing all three R s. Organic waste is diverted from the municipal waste stream directly reducing the amount of garbage. It is then reused to create compost which once complete is an entirely different substance made of the same components that would otherwise enter the waste stream. The most significant cost to consider is the price of the composters themselves. Earth Machine composters can be purchased from Norseman Environmental and redistributed, thus the cost may either be shared with those who choose to participate or otherwise absorbed. Finished compost has great value as a soil enhancer or amendment and is advantageous to any gardener. Soil bacteria in a compost pile require three things to function properly air, water and food (diverted waste) all free of cost. Regularly turning the compost pile with a pitchfork eliminates foul odours as oxygen consuming bacteria populate the compost. Moisture may be controlled by turning the pile after adding wet / dry waste or additional water. Free all-natural soil booster effortlessly manufactured all while keeping a few garbage collection trucks off the neighbourhood streets. 2.3 Observations Our forty participants were equipped to start composting at the end of a brief half hour composting crash course. They were tasked with using their Earth Machine at the best of their ability and as their lifestyle allows. The following observations all surfaced multiple times. The compost piles were very dry: lack of moisture caused by harsh summer weather in Adding water every second or third day as needed solved the problem. Visible reduction in garbage output meets 30% reduction goals. Reduction factors between ¼ and ½ of prior output at curbside with the median being about one third (~33%). 3

5 Composters perform well with regular soil: putting it over topsoil offers significantly more moisture retention when starting a new pile. New compost begins warming up sooner when some fertile soil is added. Learning curve to begin composting was much less steep than speculated due to participants being uncertain of their piles until it warmed up and began decomposing. Composter fills up slowly, as organic waste decays and takes less space than would be required in the thrash. 3.0 Conclusion Our goal with the Backyard Composting pilot project was to show that composting on a regional scale is not only a reasonable option to further reduce waste, but the best one. Composting is a vehicle for individuals to knowingly reduce their garbage while directly observing the results of their effort. 3.1 Initiative Municipal solid waste consists of the garbage put at the curb by the 13,000 households in the county; 40 of which clearly demonstrated that a 30% reduction is not beyond our means. That s a lot of weight! 3.2 Data & Tables project. Data calculated from information surveyed with the Backyard Composting pilot Conversions 1 kilogram (kg) pounds (lbs) 1 metric ton (t) 1000 kg, lbs 4

6 July 2010 Average Composted Waste (per household) Week Waste (kg) Data collected for July Averages higher due to new compost piles requiring extra yard browns. August 2010 Average Composted Waste (per household) Week Waste (kg) Summer 2010 The following table is a county-wide projection (estimate). A garbage truck load weighs about 5 (metric) tons. Projected Waste Reduction (Restigouche) Composters 10% 25% 50% 75% % of 13,000 households weekly waste reduction Waste 6 t 15 t 29 t 44 t (tons/week) Average weekly composted weight per household: 4.49 kg. Commonly composted waste streams Vegetable skins (potatoes, onions, etc.) Coffee grinds & Paper filters Kitchen scraps, napkins Egg shells and cartons Dryer lint Fruit peels and cores Garden scraps (dead flowers, etc.) Grass clippings 5

7 4.0 Resources 4.1 Internet Links Restigouche Solid Waste Corporation New Brunswick Solid Waste Association The Earth Machine (composter) Norseman Environmental X Thank you! Jean-Rémi Lanteigne Pilot Project Coordinator 6