VIII. WASTE MANAGEMENT
Principle:
All domestic materials are resources; none are
"wastes." The goal
is to reduce the waste stream as much as
possible.
Sound waste management is critical in an environmentally
conscious
organization. In fact, the lack of environmental
consciousness is
directly related to the management of waste
products. In our country
several critical waste problems have
surfaced:
*
Landfills are in short supply and are rapidly being
filled, since such a
large portion of the average consumer
product is disposable wrappings and
containers;
* Incinerators generate air pollution and
worry local
residents;
* Areas without
regulations on waste have lower levels of
reuse and recycling;
* Economically deprived areas have greater quantities
of
shorter-lived, secondhand products and thus more disposal
problems than
have more affluent neighborhoods that, in turn,
actually obtain tax credits
for their disposal "generosity."
The environmentally conscious organization is thrust into
this world of
waste materials. Reducing need for consumer
products and thus waste,
reusing materials, and recycling the
leftovers is part of the general
strategy that must be adopted.
However, this is not always an easy matter.
The late Albert Baldwin of London, Kentucky
was almost
totally unlettered, but was an excellent innovator. He was
able
to make a living on less than two acres of rocky hilltop
overlooking
beautiful Woods Creek Lake. Albert never took or
sent any domestic
materials to a landfill in his life. This can
be done when one never
buys superfluities, uses few disposable
containers, buys bulk products,
composts yard wastes, feeds
kitchen waste to the chickens, preserves all
foods by canning and
drying, burns wood scrap and small amounts of paper
waste as
kindling, and utilizes normally discarded things
(e.g.,
pulverizing glass into sand for cement and burying metal cans
in
the orchard to give iron to the trees).
To
modern society, waste seems like a natural consequence--
but need it be so?
Nature abhors wastefulness. But regardless
of protestations,
Americans are plagued by modern wasteful
habits. This is due to sheer
amount of waste (an average of four
pounds of municipal waste per person per
day), variety of waste
products, toxicity of products, and/or lack of
biodegradability
of certain products. Both individuals and communities
are
challenged to act differently in The Age of Waste. Some
say
waste products are the major hallmark of this generation and
the
mountains of garbage are our legacy to future generations.
For the environmentally conscious, on the other hand, waste
is
not a noun. There are not naturally created "waste
materials;" rather
materials are used in a wasteful manner
conditioned by the culture.
The Book of Genesis says all created
things are good. Waste
materials are the tailings of the worship
of material things, wages of social
sin, denial of natural cyclic
reasoning, disorder of our lives, and the
unresolved will to act
in a prudent manner. Waste belies our
civilization and mocks the
word "culture." Waste is lack of care.
Show us how much a
person throws away, and we can tell you the degree
of
environmental consciousness.
A Wasting Age. In
a world of natural cycles, the byproduct
of one activity becomes the raw
material for the next. Rebels to
the natural cycles feel content to
waste resources and even
attempt to justify the practice through arguing that
their time
is valuable and convenience necessary. For them the
linear
progression from raw material to disposed waste ends at the
point
of disposal (junk pile, landfill or the incinerator).
A Waste Management Plan. A general waste
management plan
that involves the following four parts can be developed
--
1) knowing what waste individuals and
groups generate;
2) accepting responsibility for
waste generation;
3) seeing the waste culture's
impact on our world; and
4) realizing waste reuse
and reduction opportunities
through concrete resource conservation
steps.
A. WASTE AS REALITY: A Waste
Inventory
Learning about the waste stream is part of
our personal
and group examination of conscience. Discover the waste
picture
by carefully observing and recording the domestic waste stream
in
a typical month. The project will generate some
eye-openers
provided the inventory is honest.
* Weigh
the products thrown away over the month
and list
them according to categories:
- yard
wastes
- kitchen compostables
- plastics
-
hazardous materials
- newsprint, cardboard,
office paper
- metals (aluminum, steel,
other)
- glass (clear and
colored)
- building materials
- junk, clothing, tires and others
* Record how much of this waste stream is rerouted and
reused
* Discover how much that is not reused is
recycled.
* How much ends in a landfill?
incinerator?
other forms of disposal?
* Does the waste so disposed of go to an approved landfill?
illegal
landfill?
incinerator?
* How much is reused?
recycled?
stored as junk?
An alternative approach is an inventory of potential waste
that is
brought onto the premises:
- packaging and
grocery bags
- disposable containers
Use of materials on grounds:
-
incinerator or landfills on grounds
-
burning some discarded materials in furnace
Are the following composted
and returned to the soil?
Human Wastes --
Animal Wastes --
Kitchen Wastes --
Yard
Wastes --
Agricultural Organic Wastes --
B. WASTE: A PERSONAL ISSUE
The first step
is to see just what we use and what we waste.
The truth is always shocking,
but knowing that something can be
done about it encourages us. We will
first treat the
individual's responsibility in waste matters and then move on
to
societyžs responsibility. Let's consider the four "r's" of
personal
waste management.
1. Reduce: Don't Use Unless
Necessary
Policy Needs. A "No use" policy is
far better than a
recycling policy. Goals could be developed according
to the
needs of the organization. One general policy is to pause
and
question the purchase of each item. The pause could
cut
purchases immensely. Merely having the financial reserves
to
make a purchase is no excuse for doing so. Does this car
or
computer need to be purchased? Do we need so many newspapers
and
periodicals? so many paper towels? Should we purchase
lunch
foods in individual containers? Using individual containers
for
each draft of fruit or vegetable juice requires about five times
more
container metal than is used when buying only one large
container or a frozen
packet and dispensing the juice in a
pitcher. Office supplies could
also be purchased in bulk,
resulting in immense savings.
Create Operational Policies. Can an item presently owned be
substituted
for the purchase? A general policy then becomes --
* Purchase only after a pause and an effort to see whether
an
item can be substituted.
* Buy only bulk
items.
* Exhaust alternatives before a
purchase.
* Practice comparison shopping and avoid
impulse
purchasing.
* Write down goals and
guidelines for purchasing supplies.
* Phase out purchase
of single use and toxic materials.
2. Reuse When Possible
Some people have far greater ability than others to reuse
an
item. They have greater imagination, are more resourceful,
and
are willing to expend time in taking the needed steps. If such
a
group could not buy a needed new item, they would be able to
press an
alternative into service. But reuse does take time. To
clean off
used concrete blocks from a demolished building may
perhaps not be worth the
time and cost -- unless the person has
nothing else to do. Many regard
the time element as so critical
that they do not reuse items because of the
high cost of
refurbishing materials in terms of labor. Can we really
blame
this sort of mentality?
In actual
fact, some periods of time are less busy than
others, and during the slack
season preparing materials for reuse
is quite possible. A policy of
storing reusable materials in an
accessible and well labeled place is the
first step. If this
stored material accumulates, further disposal may
have to be
undertaken in the form of a yard sale or scrapping of
materials.
3. Repair
The third of the four "r's" is the one that is least done
because few
people feel competent to repair a broken device.
However, others out there
are willing to try, and repair people
actually abound. The notion that
items are not worth repairing
is often more of a ploy by the marketers than
fact -- but some
things actually are not. Expensive watches used to be
repaired,
but cheap ones are discarded because the repair costs are
higher
than the purchase price. Surprisingly people have this
attitude
about everything from computers to cars. Failure to repair
items
places an added burden on resources and on landfills.
Perhaps
the outer jacket of most appliances could be reused and many
of
the non-working appliances repaired.
4. Recycle
as a Last Resort
We advance beyond immediate
waste and litter disposal
problems to a stage of concern for others including
the Earth.
One of the most discussed solutions in recent years is
recycling
or the return to cyclic process. This recycling return
to
natural cycles can be achieved with some degree of success -- but
only
some. In fact, recycling is an imperfect process and does
not address
deeper social problems associated with use of
materials in the first place.
The recycling of some types of
containers may be perfect, but other
ways of obtaining the
materials initially would not demand the recycling.
Should we Knock Recycling? Sorting out
waste materials
takes a degree of discipline that is beyond the average
consumer.
Thus local regulations can prove quite helpful. But should
we be
using the materials that need to be sorted and recycled? It
is
precisely this question that makes the recycling controversy
quite
difficult to handle. While to recycle is good, not to have
to recycle
is far better. Refraining from using disposable
materials -- a
profitable process for many consumer product
producers -- nips recycling
needs in the bud. "Why so many
aluminum soft drink cans?" Think
of the energy and other
resources required to produce these smaller items.
The recycling
process never questions the recyclable's raison d'etre;
it only
offers limited stewardship for materials and then demands that
the
disposing person handle them properly -- whatever that means.
Hidden Areas. Some often overlooked problems with
recycling
procedures include:
a) Recycling is
generally the first formal environmental
practice that many individuals
perform -- and that is to its
credit and discredit. With little
understanding of ecological
processes the practitioner will take at face
valued industry
pressure to recycle and never consider that the
disposable
material needing recycling should not have been produced in
the
first place.
b) Recycling requires some effort
and care especially in
taking what could be easily mixed and sorting it
according to
serviceable categories.
c) Recycling
bins take up space, need to be maintained with
care, and can be messy if not
handled properly.
d) Even in the best of
circumstances only a percentage of
materials is actually recycled. Even
in Germany with a very
strong waste ethic, about 40% of goods are not sorted
properly
for effective recycling needs to be valued as such.
Eco-tactics. One suggested
eco-guerrilla tactic is
deliberately dirtying the neighborhood with
non-toxic litter so
that the public will react more rapidly -- but will it?
Often
the tactics will result in residents becoming content with
the
dirty situation, or fleeing it for a cleaner place.
Deliberate
dirtying may be habit forming and may even entice others to
do
the same. Better than dirtying the surroundings is making
a
limited cleanup and leaving the collected material on the parlor
rugs of
the waste generators' offices. Certainly such
confrontation lets off
steam -- but does it address the deeper
social issues of the dominant
commercial culture?
Labeling the
Recycling Bins. Management requires that we
not make our surroundings
junky even when, through compulsion, we
want to cling to things and not throw
them away immediately.
Label recycling receptacles. Mark office paper,
and especially
mailings, so that workers and receivers of mail know that it
is
recycled paper. Place prominently labeled composting bins
where
others can see them when they approach the back portions of the
main
complex.
Recycling Hints:
* Collection bins for particular items must be located where
those
items are used. It may not be necessary to place a bin for
office paper
in a kitchen area, but receptacles for glass and
aluminum should be found
there. Placing a small box for used
paper on each desk in an office is
ideal due to the quantities
that are constantly generated.
* Post clearly what is and is not to be deposited in
each
receptacle. If people are in doubt about a material, they
will
likely dispose of it as unsorted trash.
* All
bins should be clearly labeled and should be easily
identifiable as recycling
receptacles. If paper grocery bags are
used to collect newspaper,
people may not sort as consistently as
when a particular bin shape is
designated for recycling efforts.
C. CONFRONTATION OF SOCIETY'S WASTEFUL PRACTICES
1. A Framework for Thinking "Waste
Reduction"
A throwaway society is not trained to
think in terms of
purchasing less, reusing if possible, and recycling as a
last
resort. In fact, to press a campaign to purchase less
is
regarded as contrary to our culture which assumes that wider
sales mean
more profits and a growing economy. Thus, to promote
anti-consumer
practices is to do something that is disloyal to
our country. With
knowledge and a change of heart we can change
our attitudes about waste and
be ready to address our
wastefulness. Let's look at three different
views about
wastefulness in our society:
a) "Wastefulness is necessary for an existing
society."
We cannot conceive of a society that is not wasteful.
Although
we may try to minimize our wastefulness, we have no intent
of
stopping it altogether. The problem here is that the
imperative
to conserve resources is too weak. Society and the Earth
will
collapse around us, if we continue to make half-hearted reforms
while
trying to maintain an inherently wasteful and
unsustainable
system.
b) "A condition of
wastefulness can be an opportunity for
economic growth." Some of the
waste disposal industry takes this
perspective, because it promotes
wastefulness and continued use
of toxic materials. The services that
industry provides depend
upon our continuing our wasteful lifestyles.
Following this
path, ensures the continued erosion of our environment
and
implicitly accepts the injustices and destruction that
our
wastefulness necessitates.
c) "Wastefulness
can be a temporary phenomenon until a non-
wasteful society is established."
A society that is not wasteful
is possible, desirable, and not novel.
We recognize that
wastefulness is a part of our present culture and
that radical
changes will be required to bring us to a non-exploitative
and
sustainable society through a change of
lifestyles.
=============================================================
Example: Lutheran College at Decorah, Iowa is
beautifully
situated in the rural farming northeastern portion of the
state
in the heart of Norwegian-America. It blends its
characteristic
strong academic tradition with an equally strong
environmental
sense. Student committees work on a variety of academic
projects
with environmental implications. The college has developed
a
compost project as a result of the resource assessment which
handles a
major portion of the organic waste of the campus, thus
returning to the
spacious landscape some of what has been drawn
from it.
=================================================================
2. The Broader Picture
One group desiring an
assessment had allowed their garden
and orchard areas to be covered with
construction debris because
the grounds manager dreamed of having an
artificial hill on which
kids could sled-ride in winter. Another
group's major property
is near a landfill which members sold to the local
municipality.
They did so before they realized that contaminated water
would
seep from the landfill and would have to be pumped and hauled
away.
In both circumstances, waste problems and imperfect
solutions reared
their ugly heads. In both cases the managers of
the group were partly
to blame, and no one knew the full
ramifications of their waste decisions.
In studying waste management we learn that we
are all partly
to blame for waste-related problems, if for no other reason
than
our silence. Waste, whether domestic or foreign, tears at
our
entire social fabric -- and becomes a matter of justice
and
sustainability.
Justice. How are people being
affected by our lifestyle?
Are certain groups of people being exploited to
support the
excessive lifestyles of other groups? Are some people
being
denied basic needs while others are living with excess?
The
oppression of the poor is an age-old expression of
wastefulness,
as the wealthy have wasted resources on luxuries while
people
starve. A walk through any large city vividly illustrates
the
injustice of waste, as we see the limousines and skyscrapers
with
their penthouse suites contrasting with the trash and poverty on
the
streets a few miles away. The targeting of poor and
powerless
communities for waste disposal facilities only adds
fuel to the simmering
fires of inequality and lack of proper
allocation of resources. "Where
else should we throw our trash
but in the poorer county?" one state official
(a judge) actually
asked me.
Sustainability. Can
our resource use be sustained through
time? Are we depleting limited
resources, thus denying future
generations the ability to use them? Are
our practices
destroying the structure of biological systems that support
life?
Are we over-burdening ecosystems with our trash and pollutants?
As
we consume ever-increasing portions of the Earth, the
ecosystems and human
communities in which we live suffer further
abuse and degradation. When
we convert forests into deserts and
rivers into toxic sewers, we have wasted
our children's and
grandchildren's heritage.
Sustainability and justice cannot be separated. Every
attack on
the Earth harms human communities, either our
contemporaries or our
descendants. Likewise, the injustice of
poverty forces people to
deplete their local environments simply
to survive. It all comes down
to two forms of exploitation that
are ultimately one -- exploitation of human
beings and
exploitation of the Earth. And we discover in waste
discussion a
sense of powerlessness. To continue current practices
without
challenging them will lead to social discord. How does our
small
action as an organization make a major difference on a waste
problem
that is regional or even global, that involves jobs and
quality of life, that
is a current matter and yet involves future
generations?
Wasters experience the dark night of consumer culture.
Wasting is the
inability to treat material things with respect,
and allowing this disrespect
to become contagious and touch the
lives of every community. We do not
have answers because there
are none or the will power to put them into
practice is lacking.
We throw away because we could not refrain from
purchase of the
disposable, do not have the power to recycle, or the
willingness
to buy an alternative that is a better product.
Wastefulness is
at the heart of and is a measure of the breakdown in
the
community that should both take care of itself and take
responsibility
for its material resources.
Why Difficult?
Waste becomes a difficult issue to tackle
for several reasons:
* it is inherently distasteful;
* it is lucrative business with a shady underside;
* it involves shifting waste materials to lower levels of
people in
this country or abroad;
* it is a sure sign of
irresponsibility.
The Backyard. Wastefulness is
a self-inflicted sickness.
Unfortunately the only sane response is to
overcome the addiction
and move out from there. An approach that is
based on merciful
healing rather than on confronting "well" people
involves
reevaluating the backyard. The backyard is a zone of respect
for
all people that is to be kept in as natural a condition as
possible
even amid the practices of the surrounding culture. A
Golden Rule of
Waste is "I don't put wastes in the backyards of
others that I would not want
others to put in mine." By seeing
waste realistically as an opportunity
to stop, change, and grow
we are in tune with the HERE (not in someone else's
backyard) and
NOW (not by some future generation) and WE, who work
collectively
towards the solution. We ought not to be mislead by the
"not in
my backyard" (NIMBY) approach. We solve our local waste
problem.
D. WASTE AS RESOURCE OPPORTUNITY
Waste
problems seem insurmountable, but they are not so.
1.
Waste into Resources
A multi-step approach to the waste
dilemma is required. We
must target our consumer purchasing which, like
alcohol
consumption, is an addiction. Malling is the habit of
continual
shopping. With credit cards and a line of credit we can
easily
buy unneeded items that will be outdated in a short time.
Then
we have to dispose of them. Our waste stream is like a
hangover,
the after-effects of the addict's bad practice of using
and
disposing of consumer products. It involves a terrible
distaste
for handling waste problems. Everyone wants to shuttle waste
to
a lower portion of the social strata.
As with
the Twelve-Step programs we need to view waste as
the result of bad habits.
We need the recognition that we cannot
handle these problems alone.
We need the help of Another. The
steps to be taken are again the
four-Rs of sustainable resource
use -- reduce, reuse, repair,
recycle.
The following are some worthwhile ways to
handle common
domestic waste materials:
Reduce
Wrapping and Packaging Waste. If you don't need the
purchase, don't
buy. If you buy, don't wrap -- use a tote bag.
If the purchase must be
wrapped, do it lightly. If wrapping can
not be used as tinder for a
heating stove, use it as packing.
Product packaging is excessive.
Production of a soft drink
container requires far more resources than
does production of the
beverage itself. The packaging for a one-pound
bag of dried
beans is a small percentage of that required for four or
five
cans of processed beans (producing equal amounts of cooked
beans).
For many foods (e.g. flour, nuts fruit, etc.) bulk
purchasing provides
better economic and nutritional value.
Reduce the purchase of processed
foods (e.g. frozen dinners); buy
from food cooperatives and "bring your own
bag" markets; home
grow, or buy fresh rather than canned fruits and
vegetables; and
eliminate or reduce soft drink purchases. See
Supplement 1.
Compost Waste Materials. The
flush toilet is one of the
most resource-wasteful elements of modern living,
using up to
half of the domestic water consumed in residences. The
compost
toilet is a low-cost and resource conserving alternative.
Through
the process of aerobic decomposition, human excreta are
transformed into an
innocuous nutrient-rich fertilizer. The
system is self-contained and
waterless, and so its design can be
simple. Compost toilets can be
easily constructed by a person
with elementary building skills and can
eliminate domestic
sewage. Parks in several states have begun to use
these toilets,
since they make economic sense and are a tool for
environmental
education. Functioning compost toilet demonstrate safe
and
appropriate technology. Through the use of carbonaceous
medium
such as sawdust or ground-up yard wastes, their produce is
quality
humus, which can be applied around trees, in flower beds
and berry patches.
Sterile urine can be segregated from the
solid waste stream and applied
directly to garden areas. A
combination of urine and sawdust grows
excellent lettuce. See
Supplement 2.
=================================================================
Example: Mount St. Francis at Dubuque, Iowa on the bluffs
near
the Mississippi River tempts us to mention land related
superlatives
because of its location with rolling contoured
farmland to the north
and an urban area to the south -- a most
scenic location. This
Franciscan community has maintained the
grounds and buildings quite well and
have quite productive crops
of corn and hay as well as vegetables and fruit.
The historic
retreat center is ideal for reflection and its higher
elevation
and access makes it a treasured place to visit and stay awhile.
What strikes environmental assessors is the comprehensive nature
of the
composting of lawn, farm and garden wastes and the reusing
of this material
on the cultivated lands.
=================================================================
* Greywater -- Greywater (all domestic waste water
other
than from toilets) may be used to grow plants either in a
greenhouse
or outdoors. If one installs a compost toilet, it may
also be feasible
to separately gather pathogen-free greywater to
be used for outdoor or indoor
plant watering. See WATER for
artificial wetland treatment.
* Garden Wastes -- Traditional gardeners
reuse all crop
wastes in growing areas. Eventually such reuse should
become the
route of all yard wastes and kitchen waste materials (except
meat
and grease materials which can be fed to domestic animals).
According to a report prepared for the U.S. Environmental
Protection
Agency in 1988, yard waste comprised 20% of municipal
solid waste in this
country, and food wastes made up another 9%.
These materials can be easily
composted in a small scale,
backyard system using watering, mechanical
stirring for aeration,
and the assistance of earthworms. Yard
composters can be built
with what is at hand -- bamboo, wood slats, pallets,
or sticks.
Proper layering of direct waste (e.g. kitchen scraps)
and
carbonaceous materials (e.g. soil, grass clippings, etc.)
increases
the speed of decomposition. Inoculation with a
commercial
activator or manure is not necessary if previously
composted or rich soil is
added to introduce friendly bacteria.
See Supplement 3.
* Yard Wastes -- Compost yard wastes with garden
and
kitchen materials. A sturdy wood chipper is useful for
reducing
yard wastes and especially tree branches of sizeable thickness
to
wood chips for garden mulch and footpaths. Small branches can
be
good tinder for wood burning. It would probably make more
sense
to rent a large chipper occasionally than to buy one. The
small
models sold for home use are slow and only handle small branches.
There is some question about the ecological impacts of wood
burning, in
terms of both resource depletion and smoke emissions.
However, wood is a
better heat source than fossil fuels when the
wood is harvested sustainably
and burned efficiently. New types
of catalytic stoves are very
efficient and less polluting than
older models.
================================================================
Example: Trinity Episcopal Cathedral at Columbia,
South
Carolina is an excellent example of a church community trying
to
ensure that recycling encompasses all aspects of a busy
cathedral
physical facility. The block square establishment in
downtown
Columbia includes administrative offices, a day care
facility,
and extensive parking areas besides the Cathedral itself.
A
small well designed outside building is used for storing
cardboard
and sorted discarded materials. As an urban property
with limited space
it is tempted to discard waste materials
rapidly. Kitchen wastes are
composted at parishioner homes.
China is used for Sunday breakfasts to
reduce use of
disposables.
=================================================================
* Kitchen Wastes -- The domestic
kitchen is the source of
waste including scraps from preparing foods, cooking
leftovers,
and table scraps. This material is often bulky and can
soon
become smelly. Something must be done ASAP. Construct a
compost
bin and make it varmint-proof and capable of allowing
the
earthworms to do the work of changing the materials back to
humus.
Follow the same procedures as for yard wastes.
Reuse Discarded Materials
* Clothing -- Clothes
should not be discarded because they
are out of fashion; most can be worn a
little longer. However,
many affluent fashion-conscious people discard
the contents of
their wardrobes each year or so and overcome their qualms
of
conscience by giving the clothing away. They thus fill the
waste
stream with materials that are often not deeply appreciated and
are
ultimately burdensome to land-fill or incinerate. Choosing
fabrics by
need and utility reduces this excess of materials, is
easier on the budget,
and ultimately saves resources.
*
Household Fabrics -- People should think of reuses for
fabric, e.g.
making throw rugs with worn out jeans, stuffing
pillows with old materials,
and making insulated window shades
with discarded cotton and other products.
Quilts are also a
traditional way of utilizing waste fabric.
Useable clothing and
fabrics can be placed in a yard sale or made
available to the
needy through charity or thrift shop outlets.
* Furnishings -- What to do with bulky home furniture
and
appliances that people cannot afford to move is always a problem.
Generally they are added to yard sales or to dumps when no one
is
looking. This problem of reuse extends to a great assortment
of
items in America's basement areas, attics, or tool rooms.
Generally
wooden furnishings can be salvaged and reused. Keep
out of backyards
unless "white goods" (gutted refrigerators or
freezers buried with door at
the top) are used as a small cold
frame for fall and spring vegetable
growing.
* Newsprint -- Newsprint can be used for
bedding, for
mulching, and for garden pathways. It can also be used
for
insulation, if treated with flame retardant. Perhaps the
best
use of excessive newsprint is pressing it into logs and burning
it to
heat space in winter.
*
Building Materials -- See the PHYSICAL FACILITIES
chapter. The
reuse of building materials of all types has one of
the greatest potentials
for resource savings in the current
economy.
Recycle Materials.
* Glass
-- Continue to work for returnable-bottle
legislation.
Every state that has such legislation has far less
litter than states
that do not. Buy less in glass containers and
make contents from
scratch at home. Reuse containers and crush
for mixing in concrete when
doing construction work. Recycle
whenever possible.
* Metals -- Most metals can be easily recycled
especially
aluminum and copper. Metal cans and bimetallic products
are
different matters. Never buy bimetallic and curb purchase
of
soft drink and beer cans. As with the glass problem, work
for
returnable regulations where they do not exist. Until then
reuse
metals by flattening into strips and using for siding
of
outbuildings, or by burying near fruit trees to add iron to
soil.
Plastics -- Most plastics need not be
purchased, but
where they are, ensure that a recycling program is in effect
as
for soft drink and milk cartons. Plastic containers can be
reused
at least until they deteriorate in sunlight. Some are
excellent for
holding water used for storing heat in a
greenhouse. Gallon milk jugs
can be recycled into plastic timber
that has use in decking and plastic lawn
furniture. Generally we
do not advocate using even recycled plastic in
homes.
Auto products -- Recycle
rubber and waste oil or make
rubber products into door mats and borders for
garden areas.
Waste oil can become a paint coating for stored
tools.
Newsprint and Other Paper -- Some argue that
we should not
purchase newspapers but rather obtain news from the
electronic
media and in-depth periodicals. In point of fact,
newspaper
circulation is static and actually declining. Newsprint is
a
sizeable volume of our garbage (up to 10%). It is
theoretically
possible to recycled newsprint, but, for the greater
part,
newsprint is discarded or burnt in incinerators. The
current
glut of recycled newsprint on the market, while new pulp and
chip
mills using virgin materials continue to be built tells much
about
non-ecological economic priorities. Office waste paper
that has been
segregated is generally recycled. The junk mail is
another matter.
One consultant facetiously suggests returning
all of it in the
returnable postage paid envelope of the company
one least likes and allowing
them to dispose of it properly at
their cost. This tactic is designed
to help stop the
proliferation of junk mail. Burn all other scrap paper
burn as
tinder where fires are allowed.
2. Publicity and Education
Much depends on a twofold practice of individual
responsibility and
social regulation and education. Individual
responsibility includes:
* refraining from jumbling waste materials to a
point where
they cannot be easily resorted;
*
seeing that the bulk of waste materials are to be handled
in our own
backyards, not dumped on a governmental unit;
*
teaching others in the household and organization to use
proper waste
management procedures.
Social responsibility
involves:
* a broader scale of community collection,
regulation and
recycling procedures;
* education
in proper disposal methods for all ages;
* and a movement
to curb the most blatant waste disposal
practices.
Publicity. We all take waste management for granted, but
that
should not be the case. Publicize every step that your
organization
takes to reverse wasteful trends. Serve as a model
for the wider
community, demonstrating both technologies and
moral conviction in this area.
Elimination of waste is a
statement of belief in the goodness of all
creation. Proper
resource management is a type of peacemaking, a
resolving of the
conflicts that exist in our society through wasteful
practice.
Prominently marked sorting bins tell their own story. So
many
people need to be educated on waste materials. Are
educators
giving the message that planned obsolescence is a
deliberate
practice foisted on an unsuspecting public? That's why we
need
educational programs at all levels.
Eco-justice.
Expose the practice of targeting poorer areas
for waste disposal.
This applies to nuclear waste, toxic
industrial chemical waste, and
domestic waste. Be willing to
help mobilize citizens to fight
importation of waste materials.
Help the public realize that toxic, nuclear
and domestic wastes
come at large social costs to the community, which must
be
addressed long after the waste managers have left the scene.
Education. Many citizens are uneasy
about sorting waste,
sending materials to recycling centers, and composting
materials.
Their lack of confidence must not be misjudged. So often it is
a
matter of demonstrating what is being done at your place, and
expecting
that the on-site inspection will help people move
forward with their own
waste management programs. You may wish
to hold open houses that will
include your waste management work
as well as the highlights of the physical
facilities.
3. Waste-Watcher
Activities
In no sector is it more critical to
involve the
environmentally conscious organization in a cooperative
endeavor
with other like-minded persons than in the waste area. This
is
because all oppose waste problems to some degree, and few really
want
to do much about them. Likewise the manner of working on
waste is
defined by individual involvement and a sophisticated
level of social
consciousness, two qualities that do not always
go together. Your group
may have as good a balance of the social
and the individual dimensions as any
other.
Join citizens groups to fight waste.
It is better to team
up with local grassroots groups,for they need
community support
on waste issues. If these groups use confrontational
tactics,
they will soon realize that waste issues do not remain
popular
for any length of time. Your support will become all the
more
important.
Challenge Waste
Incinerators. Waste incinerators are
dangerous polluters.
Advocate for waste treatment facilities
that compost materials.
Close Landfills. Help expose and close
polluting landfills
and prevent new ones from being built. Some will
undoubtedly say
that if your group is against both incinerators and
landfills,
there is nothing left. This becomes an opportunity to expand
the
waste discussion to include the four "r's" -- reduce, reuse,
repair,
and recycle.
Advocate for Dry Compost
Toilets. Develop strategies for
permitting dry composting toilets in
your region or municipality.
As mentioned in the supplement, this is no
small battle. Each
governing body must be taught that compost toilets
are not
outhouses and are worthy of support because they are
low-priced,
environmentally friendly, and easy to maintain.
Fight for a Bottle Deposit Bill.
Reintroducing legislation
dealing with deposits on non-returnable bottles is
an uphill
battle, even when such legislation has been a success in
the
states in which it has been enacted. This is because soft
drink
companies are committed to fighting any new legislation
through
prepared advertisements that can quickly blanket the state
and
through strong political pressure.
4. Celebration of Resources: An Eco-Yard
Sale
Throughout this section we have spoken of our
backyards as
the place for taking personal responsibility for our
so-called
"waste" resources. We compost and recycle our waste materials
in
our yards, and a yard sale is the perfect opportunity to
celebrate
waste as a resource.
Sister Paula Gonzalez has an
annual yard sale of items
donated for her environmental demonstration center
in Cincinnati.
Over the years it has become a major success, attracting
buyers
and sellers from all over the metropolitan area. Paula
admits
that yard sales take time to organize -- soliciting
donations,
arranging materials, publicizing the event, and conducting
the
sale proper. Yard sales are money makers, but money does
not
have to be the main purpose. At the sales, waste materials
are
truly celebrated as resources worth passing on to others. If a
specific sale is successful, a similar event can be sponsored
each year.
=================================================================
TEN COMMANDMENTS OF RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Do not call what the Creator proclaimed as good to be waste.
Don't swear by the need for waste.
Rest,
don't shop.
Honor our mother the Earth by regarding
all resources as
coming from the hand of the Creator.
Impulse buying leads to abuse of the Earth's
resources.
Wasting is
wrong.
Don't steal from others by
wasting.
Don't lie and disguise discards as charity
and push these
off on lower income folks.
Don't
covet wasteful vehicles and practices of our neighbor.
Don't covet as a luxury what to the next
generation will be
a necessity.
=================================================================
SUPPLEMENT
1 WASTE RECOVERY
If people
reuse a product or byproduct at home, savings
begin to accrue immediately
because resources that might
otherwise have been dedicated to manufacturing
its replacement or
to facilitating its disposal are freed for other uses.
Reducing
wastes liberates us while liberating the environment of
unsightly
"waste."
At a workshop in Santa
Monica in February of 1992,
California state officials calculated that the
cost of removing
an average container of hazardous waste from the home was
$100
per carload and an astounding $3.75 per container, small or
large.
In many cases the cost exceeded the original price of the
product.
At these rates, domestic hazardous waste disposal comes
at a cost many
communities cannot possibly afford. Preventing
the material from
entering the home in the first place is a far
superior solution to any
proposed roundup or other concerted
disposal efforts. Actually,
hazardous chemicals should not be
allowed into homes except in cases of
extreme necessity, and then
they should be handled only by those trained and
experienced in
their use.
Encouraging
people change their lifestyles for the sake
of the environment can be just as
difficult as convincing
legislators of the need for regulation. Modern
technology has
served as handmaiden to our wasteful culture, promoting an
"out
of sight, out of mind" attitude. Overcoming
this
individualistic, wasteful mindset is a great challenge which must
be
met with aggressive yet simple environmental education.
Innovative
regulatory procedures and appropriate technology are
also essential if the
barriers to establishing a conservation
ethic are to be overcome.
Comparing Minimization
Techniques
In setting out to reduce our wastefulness
and personal
impact on the environment, we need to weigh different
practices
and materials against one another. Lifecycle analysis
research
tries to determine the full environmental impact of a
product,
from its production through its disposal. However,
lifecycle
analyses are time consuming and costly because of the
many
factors (chemical, health, economic, social, etc.) that must
be
considered. The complexities of lifecycle analysis often
cause
delays which work to the advantage of opponents of conservation.
Many aspects of resource use and disposal demand consideration,
including
--
* Total resource expenditure: Does the
new practice
require fewer materials and energy than another practice?
Most
of the methods mentioned above obviously do, but just how much?
These calculations are a major challenge to any waste
minimization
analysis.
* Total environmental impact: Are
toxic chemicals used in
the manufacturer of this material, or are
there hazardous
byproducts of its use or disposal?
* Feasibility: What are the barriers to
implementing
potential changes? Are there legal (e.g.
local ordinances) or
social (e.g. neighbor's concerns) hurdles which
alternative
practices might involve? Must deeper quality of life values
be
weighed against convenience.
* Overall
investment: Is the device or technique replacing
something that costs
less or more? Some compost toilets cost
about $5,000 while other
do-it-yourself varieties cost as little
as $500. These
are good alternatives to municipal systems, which
cost upward to $10,000 per
household for water, sewer lines and
purification plants.
* Maintenance: Is the replacement simpler to
keep
operating? Some wood substitutes do not last long thus
requiring
continued painting or early replacement. There also may be
cases
where it is better in the long run to use new construction
materials
than poor quality second-hand articles.
*
Space requirements: Does the method or practice require
more
space? In many households space is at a premium. A dry
composter
may take up space, but so do the garbage containers.
Newsprint is a space
consumer if one subscribes to a large
municipal daily.
* Regulatory barriers: Are there hurdles
too great to
overcome at this time? Many of the
techniques discussed here
face restrictions from a variety of municipal or
state
regulations. These could be regarded as challenges to
be
overcome. We often need to take an active role in changing
laws
to improve our environment.
*
Contamination problems: Are the waste materials in the
current or
anticipated treatment a source of rodents, flies,
other insects or odors?
This may apply to existing or
anticipated
practices. In many cases, safeguards that will
preempt these
difficulties can be taken (for example a rat screen
at a compost
bin).
* Ease of operation: Is the new
technique simpler than the
alternatives, both in use and maintenance?
Installing a compost
toilet can be easier than putting in a septic tank
or sewer line.
* Replication potential:
Is the technique one that others
can easily learn and freely
imitate?
REFERENCES
Garbage Reincarnation Sonoma County
Community Recycling Center,
1982. (P.O. Box 1375 Santa Rosa, CA
95402)
Hayes, Denis. Repairs, Reuse, Recycling: First
Steps Toward a
Sustainable Society. Washington, DC: Worldwatch
Institute (1776
Massachusetts Ave., NW Washington, DC
20036)
Huls, John and Neil Selman. Waste to Wealth.
Washington, DC:
Institute for Local Self Reliance, 1985. ( 2425 18th
St. NW,
Washington, DC 20009).
------------------------------
SUPPLEMENT 2 DRY COMPOSTING
TOILETS
Compost toilets are waste-recycling
systems used to process
human waste matter into a nutrient-rich fertilizer
for use as an
agricultural soil amendment. Risks associated with
water-borne
waste disposal include contamination of ground and surface
waters
and the spread of disease-causing bacteria and viruses
through
possible contact with insects, animals, and human beings.
These
risks can be eliminated for all intents and purposes by
utilizing
the closed-container type of composting toilet where
conditions
are controlled so that proper temperatures, sufficient
oxygen,
and adequate carbon/nitrogen ratios can accomplish the
necessary
aerobic decomposition of the waste material.
1. History
Early models of composting
toilets first appeared in Sweden
in the 1930's and '40's. What prompted
research and development
in alternative waste treatment systems were the
extremely rocky
soil conditions found in the Swedish countryside. The
rocky
soils prevented the installation of the typical water-borne
sewage
transport systems to centralized sewage treatment plants.
Likewise, septic
tank soil absorption systems proved impractical,
if not impossible, in the
rocky terrain. Thus, the need for a
container method of waste
collection, storage and processing
emerged.
In early hunter-gatherer cultures and tribal societies,
disposal of
human waste material was done in a rather dispersed
fashion. No doubt,
careful attention was paid to protection of
drinking water sources, and
taboos probably also played a
significant role in preventing water
contamination. Low
population densities enabled dispersal of wastes
without a need
for waste protection or collection. However, with
increasing
concentrations of people, prevention of disease and
pollution
became a paramount concern. Use of latrines in rural
areas
allowed the separation of wastes, but the threat of ground
water
contamination remained. Odor problems and access to wastes
by
insects and rodents raise the danger of disease and limit such
use.
Furthermore, latrines do not allow access to composted
material for
fertilizer.
2. The Composting Process
In dry composting, wastes are not removed by a
carrier
medium (water) but remain in the container for a period of
time.
Wastes decompose over a bed of carbonaceous materials (peat
moss,
wood chips, sawdust, chopped leaves, grass clippings or other
loose
organic materials) in a ratio of about five parts organic
material to one
feces -- and the helpful bacteria are allowed to
do the rest. The
compost toilet generates carbon dioxide and
water vapor that can be easily
vented from the decomposition
chamber, and the remaining valuable composted
material can be
used as a soil amendment for shrubs, trees, grass, flowers,
and
berries. However, because of the very remote possibility
of
contamination by long-lived viruses, toilet compost should not
be
applied to vegetables.
Early cesspools
were distasteful and a messy task to empty.
Ground and surface water
contamination accompanied the ultimate
disposal of cesspool wastes which also
produced health-related
problems. Use of cesspools has gradually given
way to use of
centralized sewage collection and treatment facilities at
an
enormous financial cost to communities. Septic tank
soil
absorption systems are also problematic in that they can
contribute
to ground water pollution, consume vast quantities of
drinking water for
toilet flushing, allow minimal access to
resource recovery, and are often
found in soils with clay content
that prevents percolation.
The decade of the 1990's opens to the problems of
water
shortages, depletion of fresh drinking water resources,
and
increasing levels of pollution caused by improper
waste
disposal. Widespread adoption and use of compost toilets
can
contribute in an important and meaningful way towards a solution
of
these problems. The metaphor of composting is apt: Wastes
can be
turned into resources, and pollution can be eliminated.
Pure urine is not harmful and can be applied to edible crops
as
well as trees and shrubs. The removed human waste is 5-10%
of the
original volume. Only three to ten gallons of humus is
produced per
person per year.
3. Some Words on
Waste
Of the 2.5 pounds (1.14 kilos) of excreta that
humans
produce per day 2 lbs is urine and 1/2 lb is feces. Water
makes
up 75% of feces and 94% of urine. The rest is :
Feces
Urine
Carbon - 40-50%
Carbon - 11-17%
Nitrogen -
5-7% Nitrogen -
15-19%
Calcium - 4-5%
Calcium - 4.5-6%
Phosphorus -
3-5% Phosphorus -
2.5-5%
Potassium - 2.5-5%
Potassium - 3-4.5%
4. Varieties of Composters
Compost
toilets may be constructed from scratch for
virtually nothing or purchased at
costs ranging from $1,500 to
more than $5,000, depending on the type
and capacity of the
container. Remember, per capita sewer and treatment
costs far
outdistance compost toilet costs. Upgraded public sewer
systems
near Mammoth Cave, Kentucky cost over $1,000 per person.
With proper care the compost toilet is
long-lasting and
expense-free. Most compost toilets are made of
fiber-glass,
masonry, plastic, or other durable material. They
could
theoretically last a lifetime. The technology is simple
and
there are no delicate mechanisms to malfunction.
Extremely low-cost, low-tech composting toilets can be made
from
recycled 5-gallon buckets (either metal or plastic) that
were used for paint,
cooking oil, juices, sheet rock finishing,
or other non-toxic
materials. Four to six inches of starter
organic matter beds are
placed in the container bottom and after
each use about three or four cups of
organic material must be
added to maintain the proper carbon/nitrogen ratio
and to keep
odors from developing. The filled bucket must be emptied
into a
secondary compost pile that is protected from rain,
surface-water
run-off, animals, insects and other human contact. The
pile must
be a minimum of one cubic meter in order to retain
sufficient
heat to ensure destruction of pathogens,
disease-carrying
organisms and long-lived viruses. This pile
should be turned
every 3-4 weeks to provide proper aeration. The
carbon/nitrogen
ratio should be a minimum of 30:1, but can even be 70:1 or
higher
and still ensure adequate decomposition. The finished
compost
can be removed and spread after one year.
Compost toilets do require space. The larger ones have
containers
of two or more cubic meters and, when insulated,
require a chamber or extra
portion of a room. However, they can
be built as outside facilities,
provided they meet the following
conditions: excreta do not come in contact
with surface water,
ground water or soil; wastes do not come in contact with
insects,
human beings or animals; and the building is properly insulated.
Compost toilets are most easily installed at the
time of
building construction. Ideally, a large insulated
containment
room is available directly below the bathroom. Size adds to cost.
Large fragile fiber glass containers require more care in
transport and
higher packing costs. However, smaller containers
require more
attention.
A comparison of four compost toilets is
considered here.
------------------------------------
Diagrams
1-7
Table 1
FOUR VARIETIES OF COMPOST TOILETS
COST SPACE EFFECTIVENESS
ACCESSIBILITY SERVICE ELECTRIC
Clivus Multrum $4,000-
medium excellent purchase from yearly
yes
room
for
fan
(Scandinavian) $5,000
agent
Carousel $1,700
small good agent
seasonally yes
room
for fan
(Scandinavian)
Big Batch $500- small
fair to good do- it- yourself seasonally yes
for fan
(American) 1,200
(purchase
container)
Solar Composter $300- large
good do- it- yourself seasonally- no
room
annually
(American) 1,200
(contractor) (depends on
use & size)
(Other small commercial units are available,
some of which
use enormous amounts of electricity in a furnace method,
which
are not really composters at all.)
DO-IT-YOURSELF SOLAR
COMPOST TOILET, Long Branch Environmental
Education Center,
P.O. 369, Leicester, NC 28748 (704)
683-3662
----------------------------------
Another low-cost container is a 55-gallon metal or
plastic
drum the top of which has been cut off to make a
collection
chamber. If the unit is to be installed beneath an
existing
floor, an approximately 14-inch diameter hole is cut into
the
floor. Beneath the floor a recycled rubber tire that has be
cut
radially is nailed to form an insect barrier and seal for the top
of
the drum. A scissors jack is placed beneath the drum to force
it
tightly up against the tire-gasket when the system is in use.
A four-inch diameter PVC pipe (bamboo
could also be used)
is run from the barrel up above the peak of the roof in
order to
vent carbon dioxide and moisture from the drum. This vent
stack
should be covered with wire screen and a rain cap to avoid
the
problems with either unwanted insects or rainwater. Use
starter
organic materials including some finished compost or
animal
manures in order to inoculate the system with decomposing agents.
Regular use of "dry flush" materials with every use must be
stressed for
all users.
5. Public Interest
Considerations
Public health approval of compost
toilets has been given in
only seven U.S. states -- Maine, New Hampshire,
Vermont,
Kentucky, Nebraska, Oregon, and Iowa. Approval for
experimental
use has been given in some states for certain types and brands.
The Passive Solar Composting Toilet has been used in
North
Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, South
Carolina,
Massachusetts, Maine, and New York. The first three
states
approve that method and the state of New York is
currently
reviewing the plans for approval.
If
compost toilets are to become popular, they will need
governmental incentives
and sponsorship. Extension agencies
could assist by providing technical
information. The public
needs to know more about these examples of
appropriate
technology, how to build them, and have access to low-cost
loans
and grants. Currently, only large waste systems have access
to
governmental money. If the same amount were available in the
form
of loans or grants to independent builders, the compost
toilet could flourish
in this country -- and reduce the need for
extended municipal water and
treatment systems.
Some local ordinances require
accompanying sewer or septic
tank hook-up for gray water, thus
defeating the rationale for
compost toilets. Other agencies permit
French drain systems
provided the system does not become overloaded and
provided dirty
diaper washing is excluded. See WATER for a
discussion of
artificial wetlands, a viable alternative to septic
fields that
can be built inexpensively and have general
acceptance.
Maintenance of Compost Toilets
* An inoculating
material must be placed in the bed of the
new and unused composter in order
to furnish "friendly" bacteria
for the starting decomposition process;
* Add at least one
cup of "dry flush" organic materials
such as sawdust, wood chips, crushed
leaves, dry chopped grass,
shredded newsprint, or even dirt after each use.
Don't use lime
or ashes which reduce acidity required for proper
decomposition.
Straw, rice hulls or hay may be used but are not as absorbent
as
the materials already mentioned;
* Keep
the container free of foreign objects, meat scraps,
and materials which do
not easily decompose;
* Avoid excess liquids.
Never put kitchen liquids in the
composter (instead, put in graywater
system). Harmless human
urine is rich in nitrogen and can be safely
recycled in the
garden. Containers of sawdust and urine make excellent
lettuce
bedding. Avoid liquid overload of the system. One
Swiss
composting idea is to install a manual lever below the
composter
seat that shunts urine through a duct to a second sawdust
filled
container for direct garden application. Another method is
to
run sterile urine directly into a container and to dilute this to
5:1
and the then add to the garden with impunity.
* Use composted materials on flowers, lawn, shrubs,
berries, and
fruit trees but not on vegetables due to the very
remote possibility that
long-lived pathogens might reside there,
even though 99+% of all harmful
bacteria are killed by the heat
of the composter environment.
Advantages of Composting Toilets
* Easy to build and
maintain;
* Environmentally safe and not unsightly. There is
no odor
emitted, especially when a vent fan is installed;
* No high cost sewage treatment is required.
Compost
toilets are relatively low-cost compared to complete
septic or
municipal waste systems. There is no mess, leach field, sewer
or
water bills or hookups, expensive plumbing, septic tanks, spills,
or
costly treatment plant breakdowns;
*
Do not contaminate soil like water-borne waste systems,
thus greatly
decreasing the possibility of disease;
*
Enormous water savings where flushing can account for up
to half the
domestic water use;
* Nutrient-rich
fertilizer may be used at the place of
waste generation, thus eliminating
transportation and
distribution costs.
REFERENCES AND RESOURCES
Center for Minimum Cost Housing. Stop the Five Gallon Flush.
Montreal: School of Architecture, McGill University.
(3480
University Street, Montreal, H3A 2A7,
CANADA)
Compost Toilets: A Guide for
Owner-Builders. Butte, MT:
National Center for Appropriate Technology
(P.O. Box 3838,
Butte, MT 59701 (406) 494-4572)
We
All Live Downstream Eureka Springs, AR: National Water
Center. (P.O.
Box 548, Eureka Springs, AR 72632)
Stoner, Carol Hupping, ed. Goodbye to Flush Toilets:
Water-
Saving Alternatives to Cesspools, Septic Tanks, and Sewers.
Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, 1977.
REAL GOODS Trading
Company, 966 Mazzoni Street, Ukiah, CA
95482
National
Small Flow Clearing House West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV 26506
(800) 628-8301
The Two-Seater Dry
Compost Toilet
ASPI has developed an effective super low-cost dry
composting
toilet. This consists of moving the seat rather than
the
composting material. Building vaults out of the
cheapest
available materials and rotating them from half year to half
year
(approximate time to fill depending on amount of use) would
allow
adequate decomposition time and still continual use of the
toilet.
The cost is a little over $500.
Essentially the
construction consisted of three phases:
a) the building of
the wooden section in the toilet itself
that included sawdust containers and
seats;
b) the building of the vaults of concrete
block and the
coating of the sides and floor;
c)
the completion of the doors and vent system with chimney
and vent fan (the
major expense item of the entire system).
A still
simpler model costing one half of that of the two-
seater is used on our
Nature Trail and hermitages. This consists
of a single seating
arrangement with similar vault, but the time
for use is regulated to only
eight months of the year. The rest
of the time is given to composting
activity. By simply cleaning
the toilet each spring (after four months
standing unused) for
the next recreation season allows a single seat to be
used. This
very low-cost device is adequate for the volume of visitors
on
our grounds. The ventilating fan on these isolated structures
is
solar powered which operates sufficiently even with relatively
heavy
summer tree cover.
SUPPLEMENT 3 COMPOSTING
DOMESTIC WASTES
Composting, the natural
decomposing of organic waste
materials, goes on all around us. While
nature composts over a
fairly long span of time, through proper handling the
composting
process can be accelerated and the compost rendered usable in
a
few short months, depending on season and weather conditions.
The
natural composting process is assisted by allowing air,
water, bacteria, and
other helpful organisms to work with the
proper nitrogen/carbon ratio.
Compost is a dark, friable product
found in untilled soil is a
necessary component of garden soil.
Kitchen and garden wastes
(generally ten to twenty percent of our
waste stream) can be easily converted
into valuable compost and
should be.
1. Why
Compost?
Perhaps a better question would be, why not?
Composting is
one of the most valuable individual environmental
activities in
which we can participate -- and doing it makes us aware of
our
own need to save the Earth.
Composting:
* Promotes responsibility for wastes in our own backyard;
* Saves landfill space and preserves the home environment
in
one single step;
* Preserves
and encourages natural cycles of living
matter;
*
Saves resources required for hauling and disposing
wastes;
* Encourages good sanitation practice by getting waste out
of
the house immediately and back into the soil;
*
Saves money by cutting our gardening bills (omits
purchase of peat moss or
commercial humus materials);
* Provides good
nutrient source for low-priced mulching
around plants.
* Furnishes a model of good ecology for neighbors;
* Promotes greater self-reliance;
* Helps us
become synchronized with the spiritual rhythms
of the land and
seasons;
* Replaces chemical fertilizers known to
retard the growth
of beneficial microorganisms and pollute
waterways;
* Aerates soil, holds moisture and
nutrients and releases
these slowly while decomposition proceeds. Soil
becomes a sponge
and allows the drainage of excess moisture from around the
roots.
It helps control pH of soil keeping it in a desired growing
range
of 6.5 to 7.5. Ideally soil should have a ratio of about
5%
organic matter.
2. What Can Be
Composted?
* Food scraps except greasy materials and
meat scraps (feed
these to pets).
* Garden and
yard wastes (weeds, clippings, straw,
trimmings).
* Household wastes (dust, lint, charcoal residue).
* Forest wastes (sawdust, wood chips, bark).
*
Certain paper wastes (kitchen and hand towels).
3.
How to Compost
Composting is easy. The
important question is how quickly
we want to reuse our organic wastes.
We may dig waste right back
into the soil or place it in a pit,
designated composting bin or
pile for efficient action and maximum aeration.
Protective
netting or fencing may be required to keep animals from
picking
through or burrowing into the compost area. A screen to keep
out
rats and other rodents may be necessary.
The
major tasks in any composting operation include the
preparation of basic
materials, mixing of proper ingredients, and
spreading the product in the
growing area.
Preparation
Wastes need to be of fine composition to allow for good
bacterial
action. Many types of choppers and mixers can be
ordered from garden
supply catalogs. To save money, refrain
buying fancy prefabricated
composters and do it yourself.
Generally leaves will decompose relatively
fast if each leaf is
brought in contact with soil. Unfortunately, moist
leaves pack
down and, if covered with a heavy clay dirt, decompose
very
little in the first year.
Proper air and
moisture and the right bacteria will make
wastes decompose into humus more
rapidly. The bacterial action
is quite complex. Where
decomposition is relatively rapid, a
compost pile will heat to temperatures
of about 140 degrees F at
the center. Weed seeds and harmful organisms
are killed at these
temperatures, but survive along the cooler edges of the
pile.
Nitrogen in the form of manure or other sources may have to
be
added to retain a good carbon/nitrogen balance.
BioActivator is a commercial product sold by Necessary
Trading Company
[(800) 447-5354 ] which contains beneficial
microbes that speed decomposition
or organic materials into
fertile humus. These natural occurring soil
organisms stimulate
compost activation at about one-half pound per ton,
inoculate the
soil with beneficial bacteria, stabilize humus applied to
fields,
and tend to reduce odor. It is the most concentrated
compost
activator available. Some gardeners may need to add
mineral
supplements either at the start or during the composting
process.
Mixing
The layers
required for the beginning process will work well
at first but more moisture
and especially air are required for
the process to continue at the desired
rate. Mixing by hand
gives one a sense of accomplishment and it is good
exercise as
well. The earthy smell and the effort taken involves us in
a
special union with our Earth. Why buy automatic tumblers which
use
energy and have to be cleaned and stored with greater care
than with turning
forks? Many suggest turning about once a
month, but some do this
operation more often, especially during
the hotter months. Having empty
bins available into which one
can toss the incomplete material saves
time. Use a good turning
fork.
Application
Final application to the garden can occur
anytime during or
preceding the growing season. The turning fork can
serve as a
spreader as well, minimizing investment in tools. Some
gardeners
prefer to screen compost materials (one inch wire mesh screen)
so
that only the fine substance is applied to the soil while
incompletely
composted materials are returned to the composting
bin. Apply in
shallow trenches and cover with one inch of dirt
to conserve all nutrients.
Where beds are required for celery
and other crops, deeper trenches and
layers of soil may be
fashioned.
4.
Spreading the Word
Most people know very little
about the virtues of composting
and yet are willing to learn. You can
make a difference by
submitting articles in the local newspaper, speaking in
civic
groups, churches and schools, encouraging K-12 school and
scout
projects on composting, enlisting garden clubs in
composting
displays and demonstrations, and getting the municipal
government
to mandate or at least speak in favor of composting.
Get people to start small and to make a composting
operation
attractive and neat. Provide an opportunity for cold
weather
composting. Protect the bins or piles from rodents and
varmints,
turn frequently, and use the end product well around
flowers,
trees and other plants.
5.
Earthworms
Earthworms are a composter's best
friends. They produce
more compost in a shorter time and at lower
expense than any
other methods. Furthermore, their compost contains
mineral
nutrients in soluble form, and their castings assist in
soil
improvement. Earthworms aerate the soil and a natural
increase
in their numbers assures us that the balance of air,
water,
bacterial agents and organic matter is intact.
While the number of Earthworm species is quite large, some
of these
varieties cannot stand hot temperatures of the compost
heap and prefer soil.
Obtain the right worm for the right
purpose and use native worms where
possible. For composting, the
common Red Wriggler (Eisna foetida) is a
popular choice. This
type of worm is easily obtained and thrives very
well in the
compost environment. One may wish to use the Indore method
of
compost formation.
[Diagram 1 Indore Composting Pit]
6. Constructing Composting Bins
The more
standard composting bin in this country is the
above ground and composed of
open ended compartments running side
by side. See Diagram 2. Use
whatever siding material is most
available, but keep it open and porous for
better aeration.
Sometimes unused siding is discarded and is excellent,
though it
should be painted. Dig a trench around the bins to allow
for
drainage and a single trench of several inches through the middle
of
the bin area for aeration. Diagram 2 Composting Bins.
7. Added Suggestions for Good
Composting
* If available use manure for layering in
compost piles.
Use chicken manure more sparingly due to its "heat" and
intense
fertilizing effect. Usually one to two inches of manure
is
sufficient for each layer.
* Use materials as
soon as possible after completion of the
composting process to avoid nitrogen
loss through leaching or
volatilization.
*
Compost piles should be moistened occasionally but not
soaked.
During dry weather, moisten about once a week. A pile
could be
covered during excessively wet periods or dry times when
more moisture will
be lost by evaporation.
* It is recommended that
compost be pasteurized or
sterilized before use indoors as a plant starter in
the spring.
The USDA recommends placing the moist compost in an
oven
preheated to about 200 degrees F. Allow the center to reach
a
temperature of 160 degrees and hold at that temperature for 30
minutes.
A probing oven thermometer will help determine when the
center is
properly heated. Excessive temperatures may
be
detrimental.
* Locate the composting pile in a
convenient place, near
enough to allow frequent visiting. Bins should
be located at
some distance trees so they do not rob the compost pile
of
nutrients.
* Maximum-sized compost piles
should be about 5 by 5 by 5
feet to allow for proper heating and
decomposition. Having three
bins is ideal, with one for finished
materials, one for medium
development and one for beginning organic
wastes.
* When space is too limited to permit more
than one bin or
pile, add new materials to the top and remove finished
materials
from the bottom, making sure to turn the pile
occasionally.
* There are several reasons why a
compost pile may fail to
heat. These include: too small a pile;
to much moisture; too
little air; too little nitrogen.
* Ideally, the compost bin should be placed with convenient
to
areas where wasted is generated. Additionally, it should be
shaded,
accessible to water, on a hillside for throwing compost
in from above, and
clearly visible, so other may observe and
imitate.
------------------------
REFERENCES AND RESOURCES
Appelhof,
Mary. Worms Eat My Garbage. Kalamazoo, MI: Flower
Press,
1982. (10332 Shaver Road, Kalamazoo, MI
49002).
Campbell, Stu. Let it Rot. Pownal, VT:
Garden Way Publishing,
(Schoolhouse Road, Pownal, VT
05261).
Dindal, Daniel L. Ecology of Compost.
Syracuse, NY: State
University of New York, College of
Environmental Science and
Forestry. ( Syracuse, NY
13210).
Glaese, Susas. "Compost." Mother Earth
News, 101 ( Sept./Oct
1986): 46-53.
The Rodale Guide to Composting.
Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press (33
E. Minor St., Emmaus, PA
18049)
Siegchrist, Charles. Fertilizers for Free. Garden Way
Bulletin
A-44, Pownal, VT: Garden Way Publishing, 1980.
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