Compost Demonstration Garden

"Nope, No Compost" on the left, and "Yes! Compost" on the right.

Sharing a little “compost demonstration garden” idea that anyone with a bit of bare earth can replicate.

In the Fall of 2010 I spread a 2″ layer of compost over half the space along my sidewalk fence and left the other half bare earth.  I then planted garlic across both sections.  Here it is Summer of 2011 and the visual results are stunning:

THE GARLIC WITH COMPOST is deep green, ~3 feet high, mature, strong, and vibrant.

THE GARLIC WITHOUT COMPOST is a pale green, ~1.5 feet high, flimsy, and weak.

Strong and vibrant with compost.

I put signs above the garlic to tell passerbys the difference in the two patches.  My office is located just above the demonstration garden so I hear people walking or biking past notice, “Wow! Look at the difference that compost made!”

Here’s some photos.  I hope this educational experiment is as compost-inspirational to the AOR community as it has been to my local neighborhood.

No compost on the left, Yes compost on the right.

 

Biogas!

Biogas is a hot topic in the organics management world of Oregon.  Check out the Fall 2010 edition of Edible Portland article, “Field Scraps to Fuel,” which describes Stahlbush Island Farms biogas plant.

Also, Columbia Biogas made headlines with its approval from Metro and issued permits from DEQ to build a new anaerobic digestion facility that will turn commercial and industrial food waste into electricity and other usable byproducts including solid residues to be used as fertilizer and soil amendment. The proposed facility will be located in Portland at 6849 NE Columbia Blvd.

Public Service Announcement Pumpkin

It’s a verb.  It’s a noun.  Going out to all of you in the organics management world, here’s a little public service announcement pumpkin: COMPOST!

The folks at Metro Vancouver, BC, put together a pretty funny media release, “What to Do With Jack?”  They suggested:

Eat Jack

Pumpkins are not only edible but good for you since they are high in fibre and antioxi

dants. Search ‘pumpkin’ at www.epicurious.com or visit www.pumpkinnook.com/cookbook.htm for recipes.

Roasted pumpkin seeds are nutritious and make a great snack.

Put Jack in the Box

Chop Jack into thumb-sized pieces and put the pieces into a backyard composter. Or put pieces of pumpkin in a vermicompost bin – a kitchen-based worm bin. The worms will thank you. And you will get nutrient-rich compost that you can use to grow next year’s pumpkin.

Return Jack to his Roots

Dig a shallow trench in your vegetable or flower garden and place chopped pieces of Jack throughout. Fill in the trench and let him rest in peace.

Jack has Curb Appeal

Some municipal yard waste collection programs will adopt Jack. Check your municipality’s garbage and recycling web pages before putting Jack on the curb.

Happy Halloween everyone.

American Wasteland

For those interested in the organic slice of the solid waste pie, pick up a copy of American Wasteland: How America Throws Away Nearly Half of its Food by Jonathan Bloom. This book explores the journey of food from farm to fork and onwards. Mr. Bloom hosts a Wasted Food blog if you want to get in on the conversation without going to the library.

I am looking forward to sinking my teeth into this topic.  Mmm mmm.

Cedar Grove On Public Radio

Oregon’s composting community might be interested in this radio interview at Cedar Grove’s composting facility in Everett, WA.

http://www.kuow.org/program.php?id=21426

Energy Recovery from Organic Waste – Session at AOR Conference

See you all at the AOR Conference this week in Salem, OR. For those interested in the organic fraction of the waste stream check out the session “Energy Recovery from Organic Waste” on Thursday, June 17, from 1:30-3:00pm.  Here’s the full 2010 AOR Conference agenda.

Food and yard waste composting facility opens in Oregon

SOURCE: http://www.republicservices.com/pr-58.html
Date: May 6, 2010
Source: Republic Services, Inc.

Allied Waste Opens First Public Food Composting Facility in Oregon

• Program will help state meet recovery goals and keep food out of landfills

Allied Waste, a Republic Services company (NYSE: RSG) today dedicated an upgrade to its Pacific Region Compost Facility (PRC) that will serve as the state’s first food composting facility.

“We’ve been recycling wood waste and yard debris on this site for 19 years,” said Jeff Andrews, senior vice president, West Region for Republic. “Harvesting food waste as a reusable resource is the next frontier in recycling.”

This is Oregon’s first facility permitted to accept all food waste including meat, bread and vegetable products. Another facility in the Portland area collects a small amount of food waste and transports it to the nearest facility in Washington, a round trip of 344 miles.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) found that almost 15 percent of the material landfilled in Oregon is food waste.

“Having a facility such as Allied’s to reduce the amount of waste going into the landfill and to find a reuse for it, is really in line with what Oregon’s goal has always been- protecting and preserving the pristine environment we enjoy here in Oregon,” noted Julie Berndt, DEQ solid waste project manager.

Accepting food waste, as opposed to just yard waste, required additional infrastructure and equipment. Allied Waste paved 2 acres and purchased and installed a composting system that has been used successfully in numerous facilities in Washington and California.

Called aerated static pile technology, this system captures and controls emissions from the composting process using a negative air system and requires a smaller footprint than other methods, which also reduces the amount of storm water runoff.

The food waste will be placed on the paved tipping area onto a bed of ground wood or yard debris to absorb any free liquid. After contaminants such as plastic are removed by manual sorting, the food waste will be mixed with other organic wastes including ground yard debris, and moved to the negative air composting area. The composting row is covered to prevent exposure to rainwater. After composting for 75-90 days, the material is screened to meet market specifications and tested for quality assurance.

The Company conducted a 6-month pilot that began in fall 2009.

Restaurants in Corvallis and Salem, Oregon State University, and grocery stores in Portland took part took in the pilot program showing food waste composting at Allied Waste’s PRC to be popular with participants. “Based on the great response the program has received, it is obvious that we are fulfilling a need,” said Robin Murbach, general manager, Allied Waste.

“It’s amazing what can be composted if you think about it” noted pilot program participant Nick Arzner owner of Block 15 Restaurant and Brewery in Corvallis.

Now that the pilot program is over food waste recycling will soon be expanding in Oregon to include residential food waste composting to residents of Corvallis, Salem and portions of Portland.

This nutrient rich compost will be available for sale beginning this summer. It will be available in bulk for $12 per yard at the PRC located at 29969 Camp Adair Rd, off of Hwy 99W, 8 miles north of Corvallis. The phone number is 541-745-5831.

About Republic Services

Republic Services, Inc. provides recycling and solid waste collection, transfer and disposal services in the United States and Puerto Rico. The Company’s various operating units, including collection companies, transfer stations, recycling centers and landfills, are focused on providing reliable environmental services and solutions for commercial, industrial, municipal and residential customers. For more information, visit the Republic Services Web site at www.republicservices.com.

For more information, contact:
Peg Mulloy, APR
Manager, Media Relations
Republic Services
18500 North Allied Way
Phoenix, AZ 85054
Office: 480-627-2887
Mobile: 480-560-5776
pmulloy@republicservices.com

Dirt! The Movie

Back to the basics: the importance of dirt!  Check out this trailer on Dirt! The Movie.

You’re in luck if you want to see the whole movie on the big screen: The Cell Rejuvanation Center (5816 SW Hood Ave.) is hosting a screening from 6:30-9:30pm on Sunday, May 16, 2010.   Details here.

Neighborhoods Announced: Food Scrap Collection Begins for 2,000 Portlanders

On May 3, 2010, approximately 2,000 lucky Portland residents will start to add food scraps to their yard debris cans.  Their green cans will be collected weekly while their regular garbage will be collected bi-weekly.  Mayor Sam Adams made the Portland Composts! Food Scraps Curbside Collection Pilot Program announcement last week.  Based on feedback collected during the pilot program, this type of collection schedule will be rolled out across the Portland metro region in 2011.

Our neighbors to the north are hip to waste reduction and composting as well: The City of Port Coquitlam in British Columbia switched its residents to a bi-weekly garbage pickup and weekly greenwaste collection in January 2010, and the City of Vancouver in B.C. is rolling out a similar program on April 22, 2010.

Vermi-Composting

The beauty about composting is that you can get as high-tech or low-tech as you want.  Willi Evans Galloway (digginfood.com) put together this video on eHow.com that walks wriggles through the steps of setting up a low-tech vermi-compost bin.  Vermi-composting (composting with worms) is a great option for households with limited space.  Enjoy!