• Dscoveries and solutions for my food waste in Louisville, Kentucky, US - Alyssa Noble
Greetings to you from Louisville, Kentucky where I’m writing this blog! (The spelling is US.)
My name is Alyssa Noble, and I’m currently a senior at Arizona State University. As an online student, I am studying sustainability and minoring in urban planning.
• The city that I call “home” on a map
Although I attend ASU online while living in a single-family house located in a city far away from campus, I am constantly learning about simple ways to incorporate sustainability into daily life. One of those ways is something that can be done almost anywhere, anytime – composting. The topic of food waste was brought up to me just last month, and suddenly I was more conscience of my own food waste. This awareness compelled me to act and begin composting to divert waste from our already-full landfills.
Little did I know the true advantages.
My local government website states that composting reduces greenhouse gas emissions as food breaks down slowly in landfills and produces methane. But the product of composting is a rich soil called humus that is perfect for gardening since it has an abundance of nutrients, reduces plant diseases, repels pests, and retains water.
If humus is mixed in with soil, the need for fertilizer is diminished and the soil health improves. In times where we have experienced the detrimental ecological, social, and economic impacts of industrial farming, such as intense land degradation, eutrophication from fertilizers and pesticides, and pollution from heavy farm equipment, backyard gardening and composting are both pro-environment and pro-human health. Composting not only reduces waste, but it returns nutrients back to the ground, helps new plants grow, combats climate change, and saves money by requiring less water and harmful chemicals for gardens. It is the ultimate example of the phrase reduce, reuse, recycle!
To begin my composting journey, researching local compost incentives and regulations was ideal.
I admit that the state of Kentucky is very behind in comparison to other places around the world with education, prioritization, incentivizing, and implementing compost programs.
I was pleased to discover that there is a composting equipment tax credit that Kentuckians can apply for, from which applicants could receive 50% of the installed cost of the composting equipment back. Otherwise, there are no other incentives offered by the government to motivate residents to compost. Existing regulations are aimed towards compost facilities with details focusing on the design of the facility, certifications, and metal levels within sludge and solid waste.
Composting is not a common way of life for locals here in the city and is voluntary rather than provided universally.
However, Louisville has an affordable compost co-op where residents pay $20 USD per month to receive a weekly compost bucket drop off and pick up, as well as access to the humus that is collectively produced. Businesses are also welcomed to participate in the program for a different charge.
As you can see, there is more that my city and state can do to make composting accessible and appealing so that more residents, industries, and businesses are involved. Our trash collection system in the city makes the landfill the obvious choice for many residents, because there is a fixed rate built within property taxes that pays for the garbage collection and disposal along with the collection of recycling and yard scraps. Garbage collection is often referred to as ‘free’ here, though it is quite the opposite as there are heavy environmental, social, and economic costs.
Each home is supplied with a 95-gallon trash bin, though you can switch it out for a smaller 65-gallon can with no extra charge. Such a huge trash bin allows residents to have room to throw away everything they possibly can without a thought. From a solid waste study of Louisville in 2015, it was determined that 29% of the residential waste that was sent to the landfill could have been composted between food, yard waste, and paper. I struggled to find more recent information, but I can assume that the numbers remain consistent. One good thing that comes out of this system is that yard scraps are collected and sent to an industrial composting facility in our neighboring state, Indiana, and the final products are sold to big buyers as mulch, compost, and fertilizer.
• This graph shows that nearly a third of the residential waste from Louisville in 2015 could have been composted. Source
After countless articles, YouTube tutorials, and google searches, I was overwhelmed by the options of how to compost, food items that should /should not be composted, the balance between carbon and nitrogen, and general maintenance. There are numerous compost bin designs to choose from or you can build one yourself. I was personally attracted to the compost tumblers because they make it easy to turn the compost as well as being relatively quick in converting it into humus. Unfortunately, the cheapest one that I could find was around $110 USD.
Since I am on a very low budget, I decided to go the cheapest route possible - I made a compost bin from a $12 USD plastic storage tote. I had doubts since the bin itself is made of plastic and I questioned whether that would impact the compost, but I could not find any evidence supporting those thoughts. It makes sense as most compost bins that you can purchase are also made from plastic.
• Here is an easy guide of what and what not to compost
Creating my first compost bin took a total of 20 minutes, and the longest part of the process was collecting yard scraps.
Once I had all the materials, my first step was drilling small holes frequently into the lid and bottom of the bin to allow oxygen circulation. It is unlikely that the compost will leak out because the holes are so small. Lucky for me, I had decomposing leaves from the Fall laying around the yard and dirt left over from annual potted plants that had died over the Winter that I could use. For the second step, I added the leaves and crumbled them up, then mixed in the dirt afterwards. These two ingredients make up most of the compost as they are the brown material that supplies carbon. Third, I added some left-over carrots, apples, grapes, mango, and lettuce that had went bad. I had cut them up into smaller pieces to ease the decomposition process. My fourth ingredient was grass that had just been cut. These are considered the green materials that supply nitrogen. Finally, my last ingredient was water for the purposes of moisture and oxygen. Afterwards, I took a shovel, mixed it all up, and sealed the lid. My last step was placing the bin in a location that gets plenty of sunshine to help heat it up.
• Here I am, drilling holes! The microplastics remnants were swiped into the trash. It was quite fun.
• Here are the leaves and dirt before I mixed them
• The bin’s hang out spot has plenty of sun during the morning and midday hours
From my research, I have concluded that there should be 3 parts of brown material for every part of green material (Vanderlinden, 2020). This balance is important because if there is not enough brown material, the compost will begin to smell foul. If there is not enough green material, the compost will not heat up to produce the beneficial bacteria that are needed. There is a need of proper balance for every compost bin to be successful, and I will be checking on mine weekly to add ingredients and mix it up. I’m looking forward to continual learning and seeing the progress through this journey. Of course, I’m not a composting expert...yet!
Though not many people that I know compost, I have a very close friend and a coworker who have been composting for quite some time now. Their compost methods are very different from mine and each other's, but they are both prosperous.
My best friend, Marisa, began composting in the early Spring of 2020 since she started spending most of her time at home. She purchased her compost container online and added some chicken wire around the bottom section for extra support. Most of her fruit and vegetable scraps, besides acidic items like onion, garlic, and citrus, are thrown in along with yard clippings, leaves, and dirt. One interesting aspect that I noted is that she has more green material than brown in her container, which is fitting because she cooks nearly every day, and those scraps add up. However, she stirs her pile occasionally and has seen plentiful worms who do a wonderful job at deposing the ingredients. This Spring, she was able to use the soil from the bottom of the pile for her garden.
• Marisa’s compost bin is in a relatively shaded area, which is perfect for the worm's survival
My coworker, Duncan, has the most compost experience out of Marisa and I along with the best set up.
There are 3 steps to his method – first, there is a small bin hanging on the pantry door to collect food scraps close to the source. It has a lid to prevent fruit flies and pests. Second, he takes the bin outside and empties the kitchen scraps into his tumbler as well as other yard waste. He said it is easy to rotate, but it can take a while for everything to break down. Essentially the compost will become humus in the tumbler. Once it is ready-to-use, he will transfer the humus from the tumbler into a wooden bin where his family can utilize it for their garden. They currently have plenty and share with their neighbors!
• The bin on the pantry door collects food scraps that will be composted
• The tumbler is where waste becomes usable soil
• This bin is where the nutrient-rich humus will wait to be used
My favorite thing about composting is that there are endless ways to do it. You can use old bins that have been in your basement for years, build a wooden container using pallets, purchase a container in store or online, and use your creativity if you would like. No matter what your income is, you can be accomplish your compost goals using little to no money. We have a long road of improvements to make here in my corner of the world to get more people, businesses, and industries to compost. I am confident that if I can take this step, so can other people in my life.
It’s been just over a week since I started this journey, and I have been able to add all food scraps from when I have cooked, coffee grounds from work, and plant clippings. It truly gives me a peace of mind and is an exciting project to embark upon. Michael has given me some tips that I will follow, such as adding a tray underneath to collect valuable liquid and to cover the bin so that is it dark inside. Once I borrow some worms from Marisa’s compost, they will make a happy home in my bin if it’s dark. Next spring, I plan on starting my personal garden!
• A week’s progress in my composting bin
Unfortunately, composting is not going to save the world from climate change, excessive waste, or land degradation, but it is a step in a positive direction for humanity and the planet. We can make an enormous change collectively. With little efforts, anyone can divert waste from landfills, contribute less to greenhouse gases, reduce water pollution, and produce fertile soil in their own backyard!
Resources:
Vanderlinden, C. (2020, November 17). Which Items Are “Greens” and Which Are “Browns” for Composting? The Spruce. https://www.thespruce.com/composting-greens-and-browns-2539485#:%7E:text=Generally%2C%20a%20ratio%20of%20three,start%20stinking%20up%20the%20place.