Composting SystemCICS – Irving Park CampusAugust 2011

ABOUT THE CICS-IP COMPOST SYSTEM

• CICS-IP’s compost system is one of the largest, if not THE largest, compost systems in all of CPS. As envisioned, it will (eventually and during warm weather months) compost 80 to 100% of ALL cafeteria scraps.

• The system has the potential to be a model for all CPS! But we need to perfect the composting process and the monitoring process and then help CICS-IP put into place the curriculum for the system. Furthermore, we need to evaluate the educational component of the system in order to fulfill this potential. This is an exciting venture for CICS –IP. And while the system becoming a model for CPS isn’t guaranteed, we can use this goal to fuel our efforts to do the work that it will take to perfect the system!

• The system was designed by Archeworks and installed in Spring 2011. During the 2011 – 2012, we are looking to perfect the system. There are a lot of issues to be worked out.

• This document describes the composting process and the players and locations involved. The document is meant to be a tool to teach people – teachers, staff, parents and students – about the system.

3

WASTE FLOWS, “PLAYERS” AND LOCATIONS

• There are two waste flows into the compost system: Green (cafeteria scraps) and Brown (shredded paper, sawdust, etc.) To produce compost, a compost bin must contain the proper balance of “brown” to “green” waste (approx. 1.5 parts brown to 1 part green waste).

• There are three groups of people, or “players”, involved in the compost system: Students, staff and parent volunteers

• Several locations are involved in the system: classrooms, teachers lounge, cafeteria, courtyard and homes / businesses outside of CICS – IP.

4

OpenCollect paper

(classroom/offices)

Shred paper

(teachers’ lounge)

Stage for use

(courtyard)

Collect

(cafeteria)

Monitor & Turn

(courtyard)

Chop & Load

(courtyard)

Browns

Greens

Load into bins

(courtyard)

Harvest compost

(courtyard)

Sawdust LeavesSYSTEM DIAGRAM (outside biz / homes)

• Sta = staff• Stu = students• Pv = Parent volunteer(s)

Sta, Stu Stu

PvPv

Sta, Stu

Sta, Stu Stu, Pv Stu, Pv Stu, Pv Stu, Pv

5

BROWN WASTE FLOW

6

OpenCollect paper

Shred paper

Stage for use

Sawdust

Leaves1. COLLECT PAPER

CICS-IP Green Parents Group will provide separate bins for paper and for other recyclables.

Students and teachers will separate out paper from other recyclables.

NOTE: We will need to work with maintenance staff to deliver this paper to the teachers lounge.

Separate paper recycling bins in classroom

7

OpenCollect paper

Shred paper

Stage for use

Sawdust

Leaves2. SHRED PAPER

Compost Corps students will shred paper in the teachers lounge on shredding days.

Compost Corps students will be shredding paper the following day or days: ___TBD____, ___TBD____.

NOTE: We need to determine who will bring the shredded paper from the teachers lounge to the courtyard (maintenance staff or Compost Corps students).

8

OpenCollect paper

Shred paper

Stage for use

Sawdust

Leaves3. SAWDUST

Sawdust is used as a “brown waste” but it’s also used to wick up rain and moisture from the cafeteria scraps.

A Green Parent Group volunteer will source, and bring to the school courtyard, sawdust.

NOTE: Archeworks has been supplying sawdust to CICS – IP. We need to see if they can be a consistent source and, if not, find a consistent source. The Green Parents Group will take on this task and deliver the sawdust to the courtyard.

9

OpenCollect paper

Shred paper

Stage for use

Sawdust

Leaves3. LEAVES

If time permits, the Green Parent Group will launch a program to have parents bring bags of dried leaves to the school.

If the group moves forward with these plans, parents will leave bags of leaves outside the north entrance and we will ask maintenance to bring them to the courtyard for use in the process.

10

OpenCollect paper

Shred paper

Stage for use

Sawdust

Leaves3. STAGE BROWNS FOR USE

Shredded paper, sawdust and any other “brown” material will be stored in the courtyard in covered garbage cans.

11

GREEN WASTE FLOW

12

Collect Monitor & Turn

Chop & Load

Load into bins

Harvest compost

1. COLLECT

We will be collecting cafeteria scraps 2 days a week on the following days: ___TBD____, ___TBD____.

On the days we collect cafeteria scraps, we will ask students and lunchroom aides to separate out the following: food scraps for the compost, recyclable containers, garbage and milk.

Food scraps* for the compost include the following:• Fjkdla;jf• Afjdklafjdkl• Afjdklafjka

Items that go in the recycling bin include the following:• Fjkdla;jf• Afjdklafjdkl• Afjdklafjka

*NOTE: For now, meats and cheeses will need to go in the garbage. We hope to add meats and cheeses to the compost mix after we perfect the system without adding these components.

13

Collect Monitor & Turn

Chop & Load

Load into bins

Harvest compost

2. CHOP & LOAD

A parent volunteer will arrive in the lunchroom at 12:30pm on composting days. They will gather the Compost Corps students at 12:40pm. The Compost Corps students will wheel cafeteria scraps to the courtyard to prepare the cafeteria scraps for the compost.

Compost Corps students will do the following:• Load cafeteria scraps into a special sieve bucket• Chop up scraps using a shovel and press water out of the scraps• Feed chickens with chopped cafeteria scraps• Mix chopped scraps with appropriate amount of brown material • Add lime and chili powder to compost mix• Load the compost barrels with prepared mix• Do enough loads to fill a barrel a little more than halfway full• Turn the barrel (~10x)• Clean up courtyard and tools

Compost Corps students will finish their tasks by 1:10pm and return to the classroom.

Chop and press out

water

Mix chopped scraps with

“browns” and load into blue barrels

14

Collect Monitor & Turn

Chop & Load

Load into bins

Harvest compost

3. MONITOR/TURN

On NON-COMPOSTING DAYS, the Compost Corps will monitor the compost.

Monitoring the compost consists of the following:• Measuring and documenting the pH of each of the barrels of compost• Measuring and documenting the moisture content of each barrel• Describing the smell and look of each barrel• Turning each barrel several times

Compost Corps students will do this after lunch at 12:45pm and then they will return to their classroom.

Monitoring will take place on the following days: ___TBD____, ___TBD____.

15

Collect Monitor & Turn

Chop & Load

Load into bins

Harvest compost

4. LOAD IN BINS

After XX days in the barrels, the compost finishes off in bins. The Compost Corps, under the direction of a parent volunteer, will oversee the transfer of the contents of the barrel into the bin.

16

Collect Monitor & Turn

Chop & Load

Load into bins

Harvest compost

5. HARVEST

After XX days in the bins, the compost should be finished. The Compost Corps, under the direction of a parent volunteer, will oversee the transfer of the contents of the bins into the garden or other appropriate area at CICS - IP.

17

COMPOST CORPS STUDENTS

ABOUT THE COMPOST CORPS

Selection of Compost Corps: 5th, 6th and 7th grade students wrote essays to become part of the "Compost Corps". From the entries submitted, the following students were selected to be our first Compost Corps: Jeorge Ramos (5th) Simbi Lugboso (7th)Dillon Derrett (6th) Wilson Cobb (7th)Ronise Doss (7th) Juan Salina (7th)

Three parts of Compost Corps: • Composting team• Shredding team• Monitoring team

NOTE: We still need to figure out if we have three separate teams or if Compost Corps students are the same but do different tasks on different days.