 | This article contains instructions, advice, or how-to content .(August 2021) |
Home composting is the process of using household waste to make compost at home. Composting is the biological decomposition of organic waste by recycling food and other organic materials into compost. [1] Home composting can be practiced within households for various environmental advantages, such as increasing soil fertility, reduce landfill and methane contribution, and limit food waste. [2]
While composting was cultivated during the Neolithic Age in Scotland, home composting experienced a much later start. [3] Indoor composting, also known as home composting, was discovered in 1905 by Albert Howard who went on to develop the practice for the next 30 years. [4]
J.I. Rodale, considered the pioneer of the organic method in America, continued Howard’s work and further developed indoor composting from 1942 on. Since then, various methods of composting have been adapted. [4] Indoor composting aided in organic gardening and farming and the development of modern composting. [4] It originally entailed a layering method, where materials are stacked in alternating layers and the stack is turned at least twice. [3]
Two ways to home compost are through the aerobic and anaerobic method. Aerobic composting involves the decomposition of organic materials using oxygen and is the recommended method for home composting. [5] There are several benefits of aerobic (with oxygen) composting over anaerobic (without oxygen) composting such as less harmful byproducts. While aerobic composting does produce some carbon dioxide, anaerobic composting releases methane, which is a greenhouse gas significantly more harmful than carbon dioxide. [6] Aerobic compost is a faster process due to availability of oxygen allowing for growth of composting microorganisms. [5] Aerobic composting calls for larger bins, oxygen, moisture, and turning (only if without worms). [6]
There are various types of organic waste that can be used to compost at home. Composting requires two types of organic materials: "green" waste and "brown" waste. [7] This is due to organic waste requiring four elements to decompose: nitrogen, carbon, oxygen, and water. A proper carbon-to-nitrogen ratio must be maintained along with proper oxygen and water levels in order to create compost. An effective ratio is 25-30 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen. [2]
All compostable material has carbon, but have different levels of nitrogen. Greens have a lower carbon-to-nitrogen ratio. Greens refer to leafy or fresh organic ingredients and are generally wet. Browns are richer in carbon and are generally dry ingredients. [8] Too much carbon will result in a drier compost pile that will take more time to decompose while too much nitrogen will result in a more moist, slimy, and pungent pile. To obtain an effective ratio for decomposition, include two to four parts brown compost to one part green compost in the pile. [2]
| Greens | Browns |
|---|---|
| Fresh grass clippings/leaves | Dead leaves |
| Fruits and vegetables | Branches |
| Fruit and vegetable peels and rinds | Twigs |
| Food scraps | Nut shells (except walnuts) |
| Cooked rice/pasta | Paper (stationary, newspaper, toilet paper, napkins, etc.) |
| Stale bread | Plain cardboard (not glossy) |
| Egg shells | Paper egg cartons |
| Coffee grounds | Used paper coffee filters |
| Tea bags | Lint |
| Hair, fur, and nail clippings | Pet bedding (from hamsters and such) |
| Materia | Reason |
|---|---|
| Meat or fish (including bones) | Creates odor and attracts pests |
| Dairy products (eggs, milk butter, etc.) | Creates odor and attracts pests |
| Fats and oils | Creates odor and attracts pests |
| Pet feces | Might have harmful parasites, bacteria, viruses, etc. to humans |
| Coal ash | Might have harmful substances to plants |
| Yard trimmings with pesticides | Might have harmful substances to plants |
The first step of composting at home is to secure a composting bin and location.
Securing an additional smaller compost bin to collect food scraps is recommended if the primary bin is further from the main area where compost materials are frequently produced. This will avoid the inconvenience of constantly moving to the location of the main compost bin. [13]
The next step to home composting is to gather materials for the compost layers. Most items available in a household include various food scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags, shredded paper, and more. [14] To maintain a proper carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, collect approximately two to four parts of brown compost matter to one part green compost matter. [2] Breaking down ingredients before adding them to the compost pile will allow them to decompose more easily and quickly. [14]
There are various methods of composting but the suggested method at home involves aerobic composting with worms (vermicomposting) or without worms. [5]
Home composting can be completed through a layering process. Start with a layer of coarse ingredients to allow for airflow, then alternate with layers of nitrogen-rich (greens) and carbon-rich materials (browns), and mix together. Bury food scraps in the center of the pile and add soil on top for every few layers.
To vermicompost, approximately one pound of worms can be added to the top of the soil layer but will need ample bedding (newspaper, shredded paper, etc.). Red wiggler worms (Eisenia fetida) are suggested as they are able to eat half their body weight in one day. [15] Vermicomposting can take place indoors or outdoors. However, it is recommended to keep the worm bin indoors since worms can die from extreme temperatures. [2] Vermicomposting is faster (2–3 months) than no-worm composting (3–9 months), involves minimal maintenance, limits odor, and provides multiple nutrients to the soil. [16]
Regardless of the method used, a proportionally small amount of water may need to be added to the pile when dry to ensure proper moisture content. [12] Composting without worms will require turning the pile every few weeks to guarantee proper aeration. The more often it is turned, the faster the compost will decompose. [17] Vermicomposting does not require turning. [12]
Compost is finished if the material is dark, crumbly, smells earthy, and contains no added scraps. [18] Finished compost can be used in a multitude of ways such as for mulch, amending soil, fertilizer, and compost tea.
| Use | Instruction |
|---|---|
| Mulch | Apply a 3-6 inch layer to the bed and rake. [18] |
| Amend Soil | Mix 1–2 inches of the compost into the top 3–5 inches of the soil. [18] This can also be done before adding plants or seeds to aerate the soil and add nutrients. [19] |
| Fertilizer | Add 1-2 inches of compost to grass or plant pots and rake or mix. [19] |
| Compost Tea (liquid fertilizer) | Steep the compost in water for a few days, strain, and use it to water or mist plants. [18] |
Home composting will promote soil health biologically, chemically, and structurally. [20] It contains three major nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) as well as other elements like calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc that assist in soil and plant health. [2] It works as a natural and organic fertilizer as opposed to using synthetic fertilizers with harmful chemicals. [21] Home compost is also able to improve soil water retention, capacity, and productivity. [22] It provides beneficial microbes that increase nutrients and humus formation in the soil. Humus acts like a glue agent and binds soil together, which helps prevent soil erosion. [23]
One benefit of aerobic home composting is the reduction in methane emissions, [7] one of the most threatening greenhouse gases to the environment. [24] Food waste and packaging are responsible for 70% of household waste that resides in landfills. [25] Over 95% of food waste ends up at landfills where it produces methane, carbon dioxide, and other greenhouse gases through anaerobic digestion. These greenhouse gases trap heat within the atmosphere and further contribute to climate change. [26] It is predicted that by 2050, global greenhouse gas emissions will increase by 80% from food production alone. [27] Home composting can limit landfill waste and therefore, methane emissions as well. [7]
When food waste is thrown out and ends up in waterways, it can contribute to algae blooms. [25] Algae blooms can produce toxic emissions that have harmful health effects on mammals and organisms, including humans. [28] Eutrophication, or extreme nutrient levels, leads to dense algae bloom formation which can damage drinking water and develop “dead zones” that harm marine life. Algae blooms also heavily contribute to global methane emissions. [29]
Greenhouse gases are emitted in the manufacturing of synthetic fertilizers so by using organic compost material to fertilize home gardens instead, these emissions will be reduced. [21] By limiting the amount of food waste that ends up in landfills and using homemade fertilizer through home composting, households will reduce their carbon footprint. [7]
Food waste contributes to the hunger crisis, in which 690 million people in the world are undernourished [30] and households are the reason behind a significant fraction of food waste. [31] A food chain waste study of Melbourne demonstrated that 40% of waste occurs post-consumer. This adds to the wastage of energy, emissions, and cost of production and supply. [32] Almost an equal amount of food that is produced is disposed of (approximately 40%). [31] The U.S Department of Agriculture estimates that approximately 133 billion pounds and $161 billion worth of food were wasted in 2010 alone. [33] Home composting can limit the amount of waste contributed by households since it will not be disposed of but instead be used productively. [2]
Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical, and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by decomposing plant and food waste, recycling organic materials, and manure. The resulting mixture is rich in plant nutrients and beneficial organisms, such as bacteria, protozoa, nematodes, and fungi. Compost improves soil fertility in gardens, landscaping, horticulture, urban agriculture, and organic farming, reducing dependency on commercial chemical fertilizers. The benefits of compost include providing nutrients to crops as fertilizer, acting as a soil conditioner, increasing the humus or humic acid contents of the soil, and introducing beneficial microbes that help to suppress pathogens in the soil and reduce soil-borne diseases.
Vermicompost (vermi-compost) is the product of the decomposition process using various species of worms, usually red wigglers, white worms, and other earthworms, to create a mixture of decomposing vegetable or food waste, bedding materials, and vermicast. This process is called vermicomposting, with the rearing of worms for this purpose is called vermiculture.
A composting toilet is a type of dry toilet that treats human waste by a biological process called composting. This process leads to the decomposition of organic matter and turns human waste into compost-like material. Composting is carried out by microorganisms under controlled aerobic conditions. Most composting toilets use no water for flushing and are therefore called "dry toilets".
Organic horticulture is the science and art of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, or ornamental plants by following the essential principles of organic agriculture in soil building and conservation, pest management, and heirloom variety preservation.
Organic fertilizers are fertilizers that are naturally produced. Fertilizers are materials that can be added to soil or plants, in order to provide nutrients and sustain growth. Typical organic fertilizers include all animal waste including meat processing waste, manure, slurry, and guano; plus plant based fertilizers such as compost; and biosolids. Inorganic "organic fertilizers" include minerals and ash. The organic-mess refers to the Principles of Organic Agriculture, which determines whether a fertilizer can be used for commercial organic agriculture, not whether the fertilizer consists of organic compounds.
Sewage sludge treatment describes the processes used to manage and dispose of sewage sludge produced during sewage treatment. Sludge treatment is focused on reducing sludge weight and volume to reduce transportation and disposal costs, and on reducing potential health risks of disposal options. Water removal is the primary means of weight and volume reduction, while pathogen destruction is frequently accomplished through heating during thermophilic digestion, composting, or incineration. The choice of a sludge treatment method depends on the volume of sludge generated, and comparison of treatment costs required for available disposal options. Air-drying and composting may be attractive to rural communities, while limited land availability may make aerobic digestion and mechanical dewatering preferable for cities, and economies of scale may encourage energy recovery alternatives in metropolitan areas.
Green waste, also known as "biological waste", is any organic waste that can be composted. It is most usually composed of refuse from gardens such as grass clippings or leaves, and domestic or industrial kitchen wastes. Green waste does not include things such as dried leaves, pine straw, or hay. Such materials are rich in carbon and considered "brown wastes," while green wastes contain high concentrations of nitrogen. Green waste can be used to increase the efficiency of many composting operations and can be added to soil to sustain local nutrient cycling.
Biodegradable waste includes any organic matter in waste which can be broken down into carbon dioxide, water, methane, compost, humus, and simple organic molecules by micro-organisms and other living things by composting, aerobic digestion, anaerobic digestion or similar processes. It mainly includes kitchen waste, ash, soil, dung and other plant matter. In waste management, it also includes some inorganic materials which can be decomposed by bacteria. Such materials include gypsum and its products such as plasterboard and other simple sulfates which can be decomposed by sulfate reducing bacteria to yield hydrogen sulfide in anaerobic land-fill conditions.
Digestate is the material remaining after the anaerobic digestion of a biodegradable feedstock. Anaerobic digestion produces two main products: digestate and biogas. Digestate is produced both by acidogenesis and methanogenesis and each has different characteristics. These characteristics stem from the original feedstock source as well as the processes themselves.
The environmental impact of agriculture is the effect that different farming practices have on the ecosystems around them, and how those effects can be traced back to those practices. The environmental impact of agriculture varies widely based on practices employed by farmers and by the scale of practice. Farming communities that try to reduce environmental impacts through modifying their practices will adopt sustainable agriculture practices. The negative impact of agriculture is an old issue that remains a concern even as experts design innovative means to reduce destruction and enhance eco-efficiency. Though some pastoralism is environmentally positive, modern animal agriculture practices tend to be more environmentally destructive than agricultural practices focused on fruits, vegetables and other biomass. The emissions of ammonia from cattle waste continue to raise concerns over environmental pollution.
Agricultural pollution refers to biotic and abiotic byproducts of farming practices that result in contamination or degradation of the environment and surrounding ecosystems, and/or cause injury to humans and their economic interests. The pollution may come from a variety of sources, ranging from point source water pollution to more diffuse, landscape-level causes, also known as non-point source pollution and air pollution. Once in the environment these pollutants can have both direct effects in surrounding ecosystems, i.e. killing local wildlife or contaminating drinking water, and downstream effects such as dead zones caused by agricultural runoff is concentrated in large water bodies.
Manure is organic matter that is used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Most manure consists of animal feces; other sources include compost and green manure. Manures contribute to the fertility of soil by adding organic matter and nutrients, such as nitrogen, that are utilised by bacteria, fungi and other organisms in the soil. Higher organisms then feed on the fungi and bacteria in a chain of life that comprises the soil food web.
Climate-friendly gardening is a form of gardening that can reduce emissions of greenhouse gases from gardens and encourage the absorption of carbon dioxide by soils and plants in order to aid the reduction of global warming. To be a climate-friendly gardener means considering both what happens in a garden and the materials brought into it and the impact they have on land use and climate. It can also include garden features or activities in the garden that help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions elsewhere.
Reuse of human excreta is the safe, beneficial use of treated human excreta after applying suitable treatment steps and risk management approaches that are customized for the intended reuse application. Beneficial uses of the treated excreta may focus on using the plant-available nutrients that are contained in the treated excreta. They may also make use of the organic matter and energy contained in the excreta. To a lesser extent, reuse of the excreta's water content might also take place, although this is better known as water reclamation from municipal wastewater. The intended reuse applications for the nutrient content may include: soil conditioner or fertilizer in agriculture or horticultural activities. Other reuse applications, which focus more on the organic matter content of the excreta, include use as a fuel source or as an energy source in the form of biogas.
A vermifilter is an aerobic treatment system, consisting of a biological reactor containing media that filters organic material from wastewater. The media also provides a habitat for aerobic bacteria and composting earthworms that purify the wastewater by removing pathogens and oxygen demand. The "trickling action" of the wastewater through the media dissolves oxygen into the wastewater, ensuring the treatment environment is aerobic for rapid decomposition of organic substances.
The Sustainable Technology Optimization Research Center (STORC) is a research facility located on the California State University Sacramento campus. There are several players included in operations at the STORC including Sacramento State's Risk Management, the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS), and two professors in the Environmental Studies department Brook Murphy and Dudley Burton. The STORC facility is primarily maintained by California State University, Sacramento student interns and volunteers who use applied science and technology to address real world policy, food, health, and energy issues of present-day society. Research at the STORC encompasses engineering and science to test and evaluate new ideas and approaches of sustainable technology to solve environmental problems. Faculty and students address sustainability with an interdisciplinary studies approach. The STORC Vision is to become "an international resource for practical, scalable, and financially viable solutions in the area of sustainable technologies that are suitable for private and/or public sector operations related to the management of energy, food, water, and waste". The STORC Mission is "to demonstrate the operation of innovative commercially viable physical systems that are underpinned by sustainable technologies, and to disseminate the associated plans, public policy discourse, and scientific findings".
Bokashi is a process that converts food waste and similar organic matter into a soil amendment which adds nutrients and improves soil texture. It differs from traditional composting methods in several respects. The most important are:
Digeponics (pronounced die-jeh-ponics, as in digestion) is a method of agriculture which integrates the products of anaerobic digestion, including CO2 and digestate, with greenhouse cultivation of vegetables.
Carbon farming is a name for a variety of agricultural methods aimed at sequestering atmospheric carbon into the soil and in crop roots, wood and leaves. The aim of carbon farming is to increase the rate at which carbon is sequestered into soil and plant material with the goal of creating a net loss of carbon from the atmosphere. Increasing a soil's organic matter content can aid plant growth, increase total carbon content, improve soil water retention capacity and reduce fertilizer use. Carbon farming is one component of climate smart agriculture.
The amount of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture is significant: The agriculture, forestry and land use sector contribute between 13% and 21% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Agriculture contributes towards climate change through direct greenhouse gas emissions and by the conversion of non-agricultural land such as forests into agricultural land. Emissions of nitrous oxide and methane make up over half of total greenhouse gas emission from agriculture. Animal husbandry is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions.