Composting

As Karyn mentioned in the post earlier today, a great way to cut down on landfill gas is to start a composting system. Being the least environmentally aware person in the group, I sheepishly had to ask what it really was. Hence, my new blog entry!

Composting is, according to the How To Compost Website, "the transformation of organic material (plant matter) through decomposition into a soil-like material called compost. Invertebrates (insects and earthworms), and microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) help in transforming the material into compost." Basically, it's nature's way of recycling. 

Further research shows there's actually more than one way to compost. One is called Cold/Slow Composting. This seems to be the simplest way to start off. To begin, take the greens (nitrogen-rich material like grass clippings, vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee grounds, etc.) and the browns (slower to rot, carbon-rich material like dried leaves, small twigs, cardboard, and shredded paper) and set it in a bin. Make sure to keep meat scraps and dairy products out, as they do tend to attract animals. Then, turn the pile every day or so and within several months you will have fully decomposed the pile.

Hot Composting requires more of your time, but also will take less time to fully decompose. As this is a very detail-oriented process, please check out this helpful site that can walk you step-by-step through the the setup and follow through.
 
A huge benefit of doing this is that, on average, 700 lbs of material is kept out of landfills. A healthy number that can help cut down drastically on landfill gas and carbon. Rock!

WEEK 9: Waste Management

We all do it, whether we want to admit it or not. We have some scraps left on the kitchen counter, be it egg shells or the unused coffee grounds from the morning's cup of coffee. As you rush out the door for work, you quickly scrape the leftovers into the kitchen trash can. What you don't know is that, according to the US EPA, along with yard trimmings, food waste makes up 24% of the country's waste stream.

This week, we're going to focus on waste removal. Karyn will start the week off with a look at waste removal and recycling on film sets, as well as discussing mandatory recycling laws for businesses. Then, we'll take a look at Clean Vibes, a waste management company that handles concerts and other events. We'll wrap up with a look at landfill gas and composting.

And for all you people who are asking "Where's the plastic?" Don't worry! We got a whole week of it coming up next!