Compost Operations Integrating Composting into Waste Management Plans Jean Bonhotal Cornell Waste Management Inst. cwmi.css.cornell.edu
Plates, Containers, Utensils
Separation at the Point of Generation
Cart w/ liner Carts at School Ice Cart
Problems with Food Waste
Packaging Contamination
Too Much Contamination
Dropped at Compost Site Veggies Meat/Fish
Off loaded @ compost site
Collection Vehicles
Foodscrap in Truck Bed--Animal Bedding to Absorb Moist
Food scraps can be composted at home. Dairy and meat products should not be composted in small piles, they attract your pets, rodents and other pests.
Collection w/ Bike Carts
Which system works where? Space available- neighbors Containment or not Time and energy available Static, Turned or Vermi-compost Finances How putrescible(odiferous)is the waste Cornell Waste Management Institute
Composting Systems Many options are available for producing compost: -Static Pile or Windrow -Turned Windrow -Combo Static/Turned Cornell Waste Management Institute -Forced Air Compost -Rotating Drums -Vermicompost units
Encouraging People to Manage Their Organics at Home Save $ on Collection and Hauling Cornell Waste Management Institute
Compost Bin Sales Garden Gourmet sold in NYC Envirocycle sold in North Hempstead Earth Machine widely sold
Advantages of a Bin Sale Provide easy-to-use bin Reduced price through bulk purchasing Opportunity to subsidize bin further Educational opportunities
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All Methods Require Balance: Moisture Aeration C:N Ratio Temperature Cornell Waste Management Institute
Surface area is another key factor to consider; decomposition occurs in thin films on the surface of particles. A large particle has less total surface area than the same particle chopped up. *Large particles (woodchips) = better aeration and less labor but take longer to breakdown. *Small particles (sawdust) = more surface area, less pore space to circulate air and more labor to aerate. Cornell Waste Management Institute
Organisms need moisture. Decomposition will slow with too much or too little moisture. The optimum moisture content for compost is 40-60%, damp enough so that a handful feels moist to the touch, but dry enough that a hard squeeze produces no more than a drop or two of liquid. Cornell Waste Management Institute
Moisture Cornell Waste Management Institute
Aerobic organisms require oxygen to live. Their "aerobic" activity forms carbon dioxide and heat as by-products. If oxygen starved, the process can become "anaerobic." IT STINKS! The by-products of anaerobic decomposition include methane and hydrogen sulfide gas. Hydrogen sulfide smells like rotten eggs. Cornell Waste Management Institute
Used pallets are often available for free from manufacturers. Tied or nailed together, they effectively contain compost in a stable structure. Cornell Waste Management Institute
Plans for 2-bin System -6 x6 x6
Students at South Lewis Composting-These have been installed Some in North country school Districts
Three bin turning unit with removable front boards. Cornell Waste Management Institute
Rotating drums take some of the work out of turning, and are available from garden supply stores. Some units can represent considerable investment for the volume of material composted. Cornell Waste Management Institute
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St. John s University - Rocket Cornell Waste Management Institute
Earth Tub- none on farms in NY more institutions Cornell Waste Management Institute
SUNY ESF O2 Compost Cornell Waste Management Institute
Simple containment
Cornell Compost site installed in 92 expanded 2002 Cornell Waste Management Institute http://cwmi.css.cornell.edu
Composting at the urban farm in Brooklyn Forced aeration Cornell Waste Management Institute Turned
Cornell Waste Management Institute Gov s Island
Vokashi- Fermentation Process Cornell Waste Management Institute
Communit y Gardens Cornell Waste Management Institute
Cayuga Compost Cornell Waste Management Institute
NYS Prisons 42 Compost Sites
Tractor Pulled Straddle Turner
OPTIONS: Tarp Systems Operator Controlled from Cabin Odor Control Temperature Control Fully Hydraulic
Multi Bin System
Static Pile Compost
Oxygen will move into the pile if it is loose and there is plenty of space between particles, as when straw is mixed in the pile. Finer material may need to be aerated by turning the pile with a pitch fork or shovel. With the rapid decomposition that occurs with high nitrogen materials, turning becomes necessary to prevent anaerobic conditions from developing. Cornell Waste Management Institute
Cornell Waste Management Institute Earth Bin
West Irondequoit Central School Earth Bin Cornell Waste Management Institute
Cornell Waste Management Institute Curing Windrows
Foster Bros. Moo Doo Cornell Waste Management Institute 54
Windrow Composting Forced Air w/ Biosolids Cornell Waste Management Institute
Forced Aeration
Forced Air Composting --Ulster
Onondaga Resource Recovery
Heat Transfer
x Simple Aeration System Sunset View Acres
Adding Manure Bank Diamond Hill Custom Heifers 4-5 million BTU/day
Rotary Drum Composter
Vermi- Composting Cornell Waste Management Institute
Cornell Waste Management Institute
Delaware County Facility Biofilter Screening Storage Maturation Bioreactor Receiving Area
Facility Site Plan Design by Groupe Conporec, Inc. and S&W Services, Inc. Centralized separation of organic wastes. Fully enclosed tip floor and process buildings. Odor control. Aerated indoor product storage. Multiple material quality control. Process and stormwater controls No SPDES.
Composting Liquids Cornell Waste Management Institute
Cornell Waste Management Institute
Compost Use Topsoil Blends Container Mix/Potting Soil Nursery Beds Turf Establishment Erosion Control Tree and Shrub Backfill DOT Use Vegetable Crops SOURCES: Rodale, USCC, and MSC Cornell Waste Management Institute
Recycling Organics Makes Good Sense! Healthy Soils = Healthy Food! http://cwmi.css.cornell.edu Cornell Waste Management Institute