Source Reduction

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Source Reduction
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Presentation 5The Composting Toolkit

• Funded by the Indiana Department of Environmental
  Management Recycling Grants Program
• Developed by the Indiana Rural Community
  Assistance Program - RCAP

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Source ReductionIn The Realm Of Composting

• Source reduction programs are those activities
  which allow yard waste to remain at its
  generation site without entering the waste
  stream.
• Examples
• Leaving grass clippings lie
• Backyard composting
• Home made mulch and brush piles

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Documented Benefits

• The United States Composting Council looked into
  the effectiveness of backyard composting
  education programs across the county.
• They found
• Communities that invested in home composting
  education realized measurable savings in the
  costs of waste disposal
• For an investment on average of 12/ton directly
  tied to backyard composting education communities
  saved an average of 56/ton in disposal costs for
  a net average savings of 44/ton.

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Leave It A Lawn!

• It has many names . . .
• Grasscycling
• Mulching Mower
• Dont Bag It
• Leave It Lay
• They all come down to one simple concept leave
  your grass clippings on your lawn.

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Leave It A Lawn!

• Just leave grass clippings on the lawn instead of
  collecting them.
• As the grass clippings decompose they release
  nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium back into the
  soil, so less fertilizer is needed.
• The lawn will also need less water because the
  grass clippings tend to reduce evaporation.

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Leave It A Lawn!

• No Bags
• Less Water
• Less Fertilizer
• Saves Money

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Backyard Composting

• Low tech.
• Lowest energy costs because the compost is
  treated at the location where it was created.
• Many styles of bins. The key, however, is not
  the bin but maintaining optimal conditions.
• Backyard composting is considered SOURCE
  REDUCTION by the EPA hierarchy of waste
  management.

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Backyard Composting

• Home composting takes the waste disposal problem
  and stops it at its source. It reduces the
  amount of waste that municipalities need to
  collect as part of their municipal composting
  programs. By avoiding collection and processing
  costs, home composting represents the lowest cost
  management alternative.

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Backyard Composter

• To say there is a variety of shapes and types of
  backyard composters would be a huge
  understatement.
• They all, however, serve a similar purpose
  facilitate the composting process while keeping
  the materials that are composting within a tidy
  space.
• The following slides are a sampling of the many
  varieties of home composter.

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Tumbler Composters
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Multi-chamber Bins
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Wire or Enclosure Composter
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Cinder Block Bins
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Pallet Composters
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Prefabricated Bins(Examples, Not Endorsements)
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And More Prefabricated Bins(And In No Particular
Order)
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And A Few Other . . .(Youre getting the idea,
right?)
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Backyard Composters

• Regardless of the type of composter you choose,
  they should have a few key elements
• Be sure the bin you select is well-ventilated.
  Good air circulation is key to successful
  composting.
• The ideally sized structure should be
  approximately 3 feet x 3 feet x 3 feet.
• The pitfall of smaller is it may not heat
  properly
• The pitfall of larger is you may not have enough
  air circulation
• Placement is as important as the bin. Put it
  somewhere in the yard where it will get a blend
  of direct sunlight and shade time.
• Remember that maintaining ideal composting
  conditions (moisture, carbon-to-nitrogen ratio,
  proper turning/aeration) is every bit (okay, its
  more important) than the bin itself.

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Ideal Composting Conditions

• Particle size ? smaller better
• Moisture ? 40-60
• Temp. ? 90-140 degrees F
• Oxygen ? gt5
• Carbon to Nitrogen Ratio ? 301
• Also Called Brown/Green or C/N Ratio

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Compost Trouble Shooting

• Symptom has bad odor ? Problem not enough air ?
  Solution turn pile daily until odor is gone
• Symptom center of pile is dry ? Problem not
  enough water ? Solution moisten material while
  turning pile
• Symptom compost is damp and warm ? Problem pile
  too small ? Solution collect more material and
  mix the pile in the middle but nowhere else
• Symptom the pile will not heat up ? Problem
  lack of nitrogen ? Solution mix in a nitrogen
  source such as grass clippings, fresh manure, or
  fertilizer

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Other Home Source Reduction

• Home made mulch
• There are a number of small chippers and
  shredders on the market that allow people to make
  their own mulch out of trimmings from their yard.
• In some gardening situations grass clippings or
  leaf litter can also be used as mulches.
• Home made brush piles
• These can be attractive and provide animal
  habitat. Make sure they are not a violation of
  local neighborhood covenants or ordinance.

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Worm Composting

• Can be done indoors or outdoors
• Uses the macro-organism, red worms, verses the
  micro-organisms used in other forms of composting
• Most effective with vegetable matter food wastes
• Can be very small or very large scale

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Worm Composters
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QUESTIONS?
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Thank You!

• Additional Questions, Comments, or You Think You
  Have A Potential Pilot Community
• Please Feel Free to Contact Me
• Mark W. Davis
• Technical Assistance Provider
• Rural Community Assistance Program
• Office 1-800-382-9895
• Wireless [phone]
• E-mail mdavis_at_incap.org