Make Magic: Compost

Summary: Backyard composting of food waste and other biodegradable materials

Description

Composting is easy magic! It turns food waste — which might now go into the trash or down the kitchen sink drain via the “garbage disposal” — into a rich, sweet-smelling soil amendment. Applied to garden beds, it enriches the soil environment for plants and for the millions of tiny decomposer organisms that live under our feet. Bonus: it reduces household trash volume significantly! If you have a backyard, no matter how small, and access to some “browns” (leaves or woody materials), you can have a compost bin.

Why compost? (1) It’s magic. (2) It reduces household waste by up to 50% (and makes the trash bin smell way better). (3) Without organic waste in the trash, paper bags work very well to line the bin; this keeps many plastic bags out of landfills and incinerators. (4) Right now, more than half of the trash that ends up in landfills is compostable organic matter that generates methane. (Boo; unburned methane is a greenhouse gas on steroids.)               

Can I compost at home? Absolutely! Composting can happen at home — in a back yard, or on a deck or porch (or even via vermiculture, indoor composting with worms). You can make your own bin (simple to do, and it makes a fun science project for kids), or purchase one from retailers.  Learn composting basics from the folks at the EPA, MassToss and the Rodale Institute.  Find out more under the Steps to Take and the Deep Dive tabs.

Are there other composting options? Maybe! Weekly curbside pick-up of food scraps/organic matter is available locally through Black Earth Compost. The program even offers participants the opportunity for some of the end product — that sweet black gold!  Follow the link to create an account to pre-register (there is no obligation to do this) and they will let you know when there is enough interest in Harvard. They need to have ample interest in order to include Harvard on their route. 

Deep Dive

U.S. Food Waste Facts 

• Food waste is estimated to be 30–40% of the food supply. (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)
• According to the World Wildlife Federation, the production of wasted food is equivalent to the greenhouse emissions of 37 million cars. (RTS)
• Food “waste” is the single largest category of material municipal landfills, where it emits methane, a powerful greenhouse gas (GHG). Such solid-waste landfills are the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions in the U.S., accounting for approximately 14.1% of these emissions in 2017. (U.S. Department of Agriculture)
• Food waste is a huge climate issue in the U.S. because, when it is placed in landfills, the anaerobic conditions cause its decomposition to generate methane, a potent GHG. By composting, we return this organic matter to the natural carbon cycle.
• Although home composting does not solve our national food-waste dilemma, it is an important step down a better path. Community-wide composting can make an even greater impact. Nature’s capacity for carbon drawdown is extraordinary, and returning food waste to the soil is a significant part of the equation. This is an action that most of us can take together, each in our own household, to increase the health of the soil and of the climate!
• Healthy soil provides additional benefits, as the illustration below demonstrates. (Thanks to the Mothers Out Front Massachusetts Healthy Soils group for the graphic.)

• It is estimated that for each ton of compost produced and used, one-half ton of CO2 can be sequestered in healthy soil. (BioCycle)
• Every 1% increase in soil organic matter — thus, soil carbon content — adds 1.4 acre-inches (approximately 38,000 gallons) of water-holding capacity.”  (Healthy Soils and The Climate Connection)

Compost stores carbon and improves soil health! Composting can happen nearly anywhere (see Description tab). Check out these tips to start composting in a back yard:

• Keep it simple. Four posts and some chicken wire will do for a start. It is best to have at least two side-by-side “bins”: one where the compost will mature, and one to hold grass clippings and leaves, which are important to layer with food scraps for faster and more complete decomposition. The leaves and grass clippings also discourage animals from searching out food scraps.
• Remember that your compost piles will need a simple door to access the mature compost.
• The Town of Acton Transfer Station offers itsHow to Compost guide — a great primer on getting started. The Transfer Station also accepts yard waste materials, such as grass, leaves, flowers, brush, twigs, logs (under 18” diameter), wood chips, and Christmas trees. Finished mulch is available to residents with any Transfer Station sticker.  
• Some individuals and neighborhoods contract with companies that collect their organic food waste and compost it off site. Black Earth Compost provides this service in Acton, and is the vendor that collects the food waste from the Transfer Station collection bins.

For a wonderful video about two Acton students who organized neighborhood composting, clickhere.

Resources

Pro tip for sourcing your non-digital reading: support a local bookstore, check out a copy from your library, or start your own environmentally themed book exchange to share and borrow books from neighbors, friends, and family.

Composting at Home, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Books:

Let It Rot! The Gardener's Guide to Composting, by Stu Campbell (an adult resource)

Compost: A Family Guide to Making Soil from Scraps, by Ben Raskin (a kid-friendly book on composting)

Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth, by Mary McKenna and Ashley Wolff (a fun rhyming book for younger kids)

Articles & Documentaries (courtesy of Black Earth Compost)

19-Year Study Shows We've Been Undervaluing How Much Compost Can Boost Carbon Capture, Science Alert

Can Dirt Save the Earth, The New York Times Magazine (on storing carbon in the soil) Global Warming’s Dirty Little Secret, The [Manchester] Cricket 

Wasted! The Story of Food Waste, documentary available on YouTube

Kiss The Ground, documentary available on Netflix

Only 60 Years of Farming Left If Soil Degradation Continues, Scientific American

Compost Transport: City To Farm (a statewide compost allocation network shows promise), BioCycle

Compost and Mulch Utilization on California Almond Farm (farm saved money, increased yield, improved soil health, reduced water and pesticide use), BioCycle

Steps to Take

Tips and tricks for backyard composting:

1. Buy or build a compost bin. Many types of containers will work well; however, your container should allow for good air circulation. Read up on the basics of composting from the EPA and the Rodale Institute. 
2. Use a small bucket on your countertop or other covered container to collect your food scraps and empty them regularly into your yard compost bin.
3. Structure your compost pile with layers of “browns” and “greens” to obtain the best effects. Browns are carbon rich, generally dry, woody or papery materials such as leaves, straw, sawdust, partially decomposed wood from an old wood pile, torn newspaper, etc. Greens are vegetable and fruit scraps, lawn clippings, coffee grounds, and other green, moist organic materials. Keep the pile covered with browns to discourage bugs and pests.  
4. Turn the pile as needed to promote the circulation of oxygen.
5. Your compost is ready to use in your garden when you can no longer recognize the component parts (like vegetables) that you put into it. You might still see bits of leaves and twigs, but you won’t see a potato! 
6. Don’t get discouraged. You might wonder what happens if things go “wrong” and your compost rots. Generally that happens if you put in too many greens and not enough browns. You can just throw on some more leaves, or even a scoop of dirt if you’d like to get it back to smelling a little earthier. But, don’t worry --  even if your food rots in your compost bin, it still is much more environmentally friendly than putting it in a landfill. 
7. Try indoor composting with worms if you don’t have access to an outdoor space. For home composting, it’s best to keep meat and cheese out of the bin. Commercial services will accept these items.  
8. Let us know how it went by leaving a Testimonial under the tab above!