Yes, you too can compost!

Jun 6, 2014

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June has arrived and so has the bright summer sun, bringing hot temps to help heat up your compost bin! Interestingly, I realized that I’ll have to move my bin this year because a neighboring tree has now leafed out a branch that shades it. Shade cools your compost and slows the process of breaking down into mulch, along with making it tempting to bugs and such. Full sun for the bin means awesome compost for your flowers and vegetables!

Emory has definitely gotten the hang of composting. For us, the trickiest part is collections in the individual buildings! 1599 Clifton and Woodruff Library have made quite a success of the composting effort by Emory Recycles and we should applaud them for making it work!

What is compost? It’s the end result of the break down of organic material (leftover vegetables and yard waste) tossed together and left to rot, sometimes called humus, loam or black gold.

What goes into compost? All your leftover or old vegetables, grass clippings (as long as you don’t treat your yard with chemicals), leaves, sticks (break them first into 6” pieces) are all compostable. Note to self: to prevent interest from 4-legged friends and foes, never compost meat or bread.

What is a compost pile? It can be simply a pile, but it will spread out as it deteriorates so some folks build or buy containers. The container can be a bin with walls of cinder block, wood, pallets, timbers, bales of hay (it too will become compost), anything you can put together to create a receptacle. Remember you need to be able to drop your organic material into it and stir/turn the pile. There are boxes you can buy, tumbler bins on wheels that relocate easily, there’s even electric composting bins that maintain optimal temps and turn for you.

Bake in full sun, stir and turn occasionally till done and spread the bounty of free, rich dirt!

Be sure to mark your calendars for the Summer Farmers Markets, Tuesday 6/24, 7/29 and 8/26 and plan to shop for good food, locally and sustainably grown by people you actually get to meet when you buy it!

Enjoy June…for now is the time for Dragonflies by day and Fireflies by night! Happy Composting, everyone!

composting sustainability

Comments

3 responses to “Yes, you too can compost!”

Stan Gabriel

March 15, 2016

Hi, Dawn, came across your blog and was happy to find a post about composting garden waste. I’d say there are a lot of nitpicks and tips until you get the compost done perfectly, but it’s so much fun to try over and over again, isn’t it? How is the Emory Recycles program going? Two years ago, you said the hardest part was the waste collection. For me, a green waste clearance professional in London, I’d say it’s still information that is the biggest obstacles between us, the waste collectors, and the consumers. Many people don’t know how much good it would do to take the time and separate green waste and kitchen scraps from non-organic, solid waste. Here’s to hoping it changes!

Reply
1. Dawn Francis-Chewnin
  
  March 18, 2016
  
  Thank you for your interest Stan! I agree with you about information being the biggest obstacle – folks just don’t get the sorting of it all so we continue to perfect the visual cues. I work to help people understand the viability of compost both here at Emory University and at home. Emory is doing some really exciting things these days; we have our very own WaterHub (a water reclamation facility). Here’s the link and I wish you all the best in our shared effort! http://www.campserv.emory.edu/fm/energy_utilities/water-hub/
  
  Reply
  1. Jane Francis
    
    August 27, 2016
    
    I think it very important that we all do our bit to help the environment and minimize the carbon footprint. I came across an article about home composting that you might be interested in reading. It is a cheap and efficient way for everyone to be able to start composting from the comfort of their own gardens and reduce the amount of waste, which would otherwise end up in landfill sites.
    
    Reply

Yes, you too can compost!

Comments

3 responses to “Yes, you too can compost!”

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