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Backyard Composting Evelyn Brumfield Education Director
1 Evelyn Brumfield Education Director Backyard Composting
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Keep Phoenix Beautiful?
2 Keep Phoenix Beautiful? What does BEAUTIFUL mean? Who am I? What do I do? What shall we discuss today? Definition, Benefits, How, Greens and Browns, Prohibited items, Steps to take, More info, Contact info.
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Composting! BUT FIRST - Let’s play a game!
3 Composting! BUT FIRST - Let’s play a game! What is your experience with composting? Heard of it Tried composting Currently composting
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4 Compost? What is it? Compost: A mixture of decayed or decaying organic matter used to fertilize soil. Compost is usually made by gathering plant material, such as leaves, grass clippings, and vegetable peels, into a pile or bin and letting it decompose as a result of the action of aerobic bacteria, fungi, and other organisms. Compost A mixture of decayed or decaying organic matter used to fertilize soil. Compost is usually made by gathering plant material, such as leaves, grass clippings, and vegetable peels, into a pile or bin and letting it decompose as a result of the action of aerobic bacteria, fungi, and other organisms. The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Why Compost? What are some benefits of composting?
5 Why Compost? What are some benefits of composting? Reduces waste to a fraction of its size Doesn't use landfill space (and doesn’t create powerful greenhouse gasses) Add to containers or garden Useful as mulch What else?
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Cycles? Cycles are a normal part of nature!
6 Cycles? Cycles are a normal part of nature! Other cycles that we are familiar with: Life cycle Water cycle Recycle Bicycle
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7 Cycles? 7
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8 Compost? Cyclic: Materials go from the compost, to the soil, to the plant, and then back to the compost in a never- ending cycle!
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Compost! How does it work?
9 Compost! How does it work? There must be “stuff”, air, water, and bugs!
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Greens, Browns, Air, Moisture
10 Greens, Browns, Air, Moisture The Fire Triangle: All three sides must be present for combustion to occur. The Compost Triangle works similarly! There must be a balance of Stuff (Greens and Browns) for Work And a balance of Air and Water – your labor! 10
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11 Compost Basics You can put almost anything into a compost pile that was once alive. (Material that came from the ground can go back into compost!) Items should be no bigger than a thumb (More surface area = more fun!) Types of items: Greens and Browns Mixture of Nitrogen and Carbon.
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Stuff to Compost Types of stuff: Greens (N) & Browns (C)
12 Stuff to Compost Types of stuff: Greens (N) & Browns (C) Greens are “wet”: from the kitchen, plants, fresh grass (⅓), decays faster. Browns are “dry”: dried up grass, wood, shredded paper (⅔), decays slowly. Don’t Add: meat, dairy, oils, bones, etc.
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Greens, Browns and Don't Nitrogen-rich greens:
13 Greens, Browns and Don't Nitrogen-rich greens: Coffee grounds, filters, & teabags Vegetable & fruit wastes Eggshells Horse, cow, rabbit, chicken, (herbivore) manure Weeds without weed seeds Grass clippings (but not if you use harmful chemicals on your grass!) Carbon-rich browns: Hay & straw Fall leaves Straw, cornstalks Shredded cardboard & newspaper (inks are soy-based and are OK) Paper plates, bags, towels Chipped brush, sticks, twigs, branches, bark, sawdust Pine needles AVOID! Meats: pork, chicken, fish, bones, etc Fat, grease, oils Foods cooked with sauces or butter Dairy products Dog, cat, or human waste Diseased plants Weeds with seeds Ashes Herbicide- and Pesticide-tainted items 13
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14 Stuff, Labor, and Work Collect the stuff, pile it in, in layers, with water Labor: Mix it up, turn the pile, adding air Work: Bacteria, colonize the debris and break it down to its component nutrients, producing compost. To start: one cubic yard, 140ºF to160ºF for 3-4 weeks. Wait and watch and repeat. Pull the finished product out of the bottom!
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Details details... Contained, Uncontained?
15 Details details... Contained, Uncontained? Location: easy to access, water, shade, etc Hot/fast: small pieces, frequent turning, decomposes quickly, can kill some disease organisms and seeds, internal temperature of 140° Cold/slow: larger/less uniform pieces, infrequent turning, less labor, takes months to decompose
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There are many ways to compost!
16 There are many ways to compost! Soil Incorporation Mulch Grass-Cycling Heap Wood Holding Bin Wire Holding Bin Plastic Holding Bon 2-bin Block 3-bin Wood Turning Barrel Worm Bin
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Is it done yet?? 25-40% of the original pile.
17 Is it done yet?? 25-40% of the original pile. Can't identify the original materials Dark and rich looking Smells earthy Crumbles in your hands
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Compost Will Go From: I can clearly tell what that is…
I can sort of tell what that was… That looks like dirt.
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Something’s not quite right…
19 Something’s not quite right… Smells like ammonia: Too much Nitrogen, needs Carbon (browns)! Not enough oxygen, turn it! Putrid odor: May be too wet – add browns and turn it! My pile has bugs! Great! They are part of the process. If that icks you out – the more frequently you turn the pile, the less hospitable the habitat for bugs. My pile isn’t HOT: Needs more Nitrogen (greens), could be too small (<1 cubic yard), might need more air. I have flies! Add a layer of browns after each layer of greens, cover a newly turned pile with a thin layer of brown.
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Local Community Garden: Pierson Model C. G.
Camelback and 19th Avenue
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Local Community Garden: Mountain View Park C. G.
7th Avenue & Cheryl Dr
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From Landfills to Composting…
22 From Landfills to Composting… Paper: 27% Glass: 4% Metals: 9% Plastics: 13% Yard Waste: 29% Food Waste: 15% Other: 13% Source:
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Evelyn Brumfield Education Director Evelyn@KeepPhxBeautiful.org
23 Questions? Comments? Evelyn Brumfield Education Director
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Head over to www.KeepPhxBeautiful.org
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