encouraging home composting the hands-on way: lessons from charlotte nc

8/9/2019 Encouraging Home Composting The Hands-On Way: Lessons From Charlotte NC

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ENCOURAGING HOME COMPOSTING THE HANDS-ON WAY:LESSONS FROM CHARLO'ITE-MECMENBURG

BY

D. H. BoekelheideHome CompostingRogrm

Charlotte,NorthCarolina

B.F. BargerCharlotte-Mecklenburg Solid Waste Management

Source ReductionCharlotte,NorthCarolina

ABSTRACT

Since 1993, Charlotte-Mecklenburg (North Carolina ) Solid Waste Managemen t's popular home compostingprogram has reached over 1500 households. The program offers h a d - o n workshops,free bin distributions. acompost demonstration garden and a how-to brochure and compost guidebook. Charlotte's hands-on homecomposting workshops teacha simple, inexpensiveand effective methodof making compost at home using a wirebin. Charlotte emphasizes teaching a specific composting method(a 'mo&l' approach) in its home compostprogram, rather than using a 'museum' approach of displaying many types of home compost units. Homecomphsting is less energy intensive than large-scale centralized compost processing. Estimated costof Charlotte3home composting program ranges fro m $21 to $57 per tonne ($19 to $51 per ton) over 5 years. In Charlotte,'macro' and 'micro' composters work together to implement communitycomposting and to encourage publicacceptance of composting as a resident-frieudlyand environm entally sound technology.

INTRODUCTION

Much like economists, composters split into two camps, the 'macros' and the 'micros'. Macro' composters,working on a scale of truckloads, tonnes and hectares (tons and acres), approach compostingas a way to managethemountains of organic solid waste generated by modern cities, industries and agriculture. Meanwhile. measuringinwheelbarrows, buckets and shovelfuls, 'micro' composterssee. composting as a way to grow bigger tomatoes andhealthier zinnias, and to help the environment by transforming bananapeels and autumn leaves into 'black gold'fortheir gardens.

The biological processes in a well-managed backyard compost pile are fundamentally the same as thosein acarefully monitored aerobic windrow at a municipal composting site. Nevertheless, 'micros' and 'macros' speakdifferent languages. 'Macro' composters discuss aerated static piles and process kinetics; 'micro' composterst a l kabout the ratioof browns' to 'greens' and whether or not to add coffee grounds or eggshells. Sometimes,i t is hard tosee what the two havein common.

In truth, both approaches transform 'wastes' into resources for building soil fertility and safeguarding theenvironment. Worlung together, 'macro' and 'micro' composters can help increase public acceptanceof compostingas a community-friendly and environmentally sound technology. and, at the same time, advancethe science and artof composting.

Community-sponsored home composting programs help build a synergistic relationship between 'macro' and

'micro' composting. In1994, Johnson found and surveyed539 community home compost education programsaround the United States and Canada (Johnson.1995). Since 1993, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Solid WasteManagement has sponsored a home composting program. Lessons from Charlotte can be useful for othercommunities interestedin encouraging home com posting, especiallyin the southeastern US.

CHARLOTTE-MECKLENBURG'S HOME COMPOSTING PROGRAM

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Solid Waste Management,a county agency, converts yard debris to mulchand compost..using a windrow system, at two large sites. Yard wastes may not be landfilledi n North Carolina.The ciiy and

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county collect yard waste from the curbside weekly throughout the year. Charlotte launchedits home compostingprogram, in part,as a way to cut the amount of yard waste put out for collection, to reduce pressure on its'macro'facilitiesso they can run more efficiently.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg's composting operations offer mulch and compost for sale, both onsite and throughacontract with a private firm that markets the compost underthe 'Eco' brand. Home composting workshops anddisplaysat The Compost Garden', locatedat Compost Central,the county's25 acre yard waste composting facility,offer a way to publicize and market the mulch and compost, and increase positive public awarenessof the county'syard waste operations.

Kev elements: Charlotte-Mecklenburg's home composting program features four key components; hands-onworkshops, free bin distributions, a compost demonstrationgarden and a how-to brochure and compost guidebook.Workshops teach residentsa simple, inexpensive and reliablemethod of hom e composting.Over lo00 people haveattended hands-on home composting workshops since 1994.In addition,the county has distributed almost50 0 freebins at locations throughout the city.The Compost Gardenis attractively landscaped with low maintenance plantswell adapted to the Piedmont, and features informational signs on composting and examples of home compost bins.County residents can obtaina composting guidebook and brochure specifically designed to accompany workshops.

4 brief hitorv: The roots of Mecklenburg County's home composting programgo back to January 1990, whenCharlotte environmental activist Martin Webster contacted the county on behalfof the 'Pile-it Project', a citizen-

based home com posting initiative. Brenda Barger began working on theprogram n 1992, when Cary Saul of SolidW age Management named her to a newly organized Backyard Composting Education Team.

Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners joined the effort in 1993, worlung with Steve Elliot. CompostCentral's site manager, to create a 'vision' for a home composting demonsuation garden at Compost Central. Earlyin1993, representatives fkom Mecklenburg County Waste M anagement and Cooperative Extension visited the NationalHorticulture Society(NHS) National Home CompostPark in Alexandria, Virpia,se t up by Joe Keyser, as wellashome compost demonstration sites in North Carolina. Afterthese visits, Cooperative Extension Agent Ted Caudelland Master Gardeners designed a0.3 ha (3/4 acre) Compost Garden for Compost Central.

The Compost Garden opened in July 1993, with more than a dozen models of commercial and homemadebackyard composting bins on display. Landscaping featured drip irrigation and well-adapted native plantc.herhs andperennials. The front section of the garden was designed for workshops, with benches made from recycled plastic.

Martin Webster taught Charlotte-Mecklenburg'sfirst two home composting classes in August and Septemherof1993 at the Cooperative Extension Auditorium in theHal Marshall Centerin downtown Charlotte. Following a1hour indoor lecture-demonstration, panicipanls took an optional field mp to the Com post Garden.

Aftes Webster relocated tothe Asheville (N C) area, Don Boekelheide was hiredin early 1994 to work withthecounty's Susan &chards to write a composting guidebook and to organize and teach a series of workshops.Boekeheide. a returned Peace Corps volunteerwith an agriculture background, suggested changing the compostingworkshops to 'Peace Corps-style' hands-on activities held outdoorsin the Compost Garden.These workshops provedpopular, and have been offered annually spnng and fall sincc April 1994.

In fall 1996. building on the successof the home com post program, the county sponsored a free bin distributionand gave away over150 bins in an hour. The following year. Boekelheide teamed with the county's BobbieCampbell to write a$1O,o00 North Carolina state grant to fund four 'neighborhood com post fairs'in Charlotte. Over300 people received bins and saw a composting demonstration atthese fairs. The grant also provided funding for

revising the 'how-to' compost brochure and for a survey of bin recipients. The survey found that over80% of freebin recipients continue to compost aftersix -months

METHODS USED N CHARLOTTE'S HOME COMPOSTING PROGRAM--

B e s t : harlotte activelyseeks out and researches home composting programs in other communities.Before preparing printed materials, staff carefully reviewed pamphlets and documents from other programs.including those from the Pacific Northwest (Seattle, 97; VanMiert, 91) and the National Horticultural Association

-(Keyser.93). The World Wide Web. especially the Cornell University Compost Site (Cornell.98) nd the HomeComposing Listserv (H om e Comp ost,9 8 ) . has provided invaluable information and feedback.

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Hands-on extension-stvle workshom: For a $5 workshop registration fee, participants receive a wire compost binand a guidebook on composting which covers the method taughtin the workshop. Workshop participants learnaspecific compost making method thatis inexpensive, efficient and predictable in Charlotte's climate. Evencomposting novices leave ready to set up a bin at home and succeedin composting.

Composting workshops are taught outdoors, hands-on.In classesof 8 -20 (12- 16 is ideal), participants build abin justas they will in their backyard, using fallen leaves.Each workshop also'turns' (remixes) a compost pile builtby the previous weeks workshop, and adds kitchen scraps to a pile. Workshop members alsosee finished andactively decomposing compost in bins bu ilt by earlier workshops.

Compost workshops are offered on S aturdays during a5 to 6 week period in the fall. beginning with the leafdrop in October; and again in the spring, beginning in mid-March. Each workshoplasts 2 hours. Two sessions areheld each Saturday, one inthe morning, one inthe afternoon.

- - t a l , acitv b h : Workshopsuse a simple bin, a cylinder formed from a length of5 cm x 10cm (2 in x4 in) welded wire fencing 90 cm (3ft ) tall and 3.8 m (12 ft6 in) in length.This cylinder holds slightlyover 1 m3 (roughly1.4 yd3) of materials.

Charlotte chooses to keep home composting simple and low cost, requiring no m echanical shredding or specialequipment. The low cost of the wire bins($4.50 per unit) keeps workshops and free bin distributions affordable. Thelarge bin is ideally suited to yard waste composting under local conditions. (An accompanying paper, entitledCharlgtte-Mecklenburg's Hands-on Composting Workshops and Home Composting Method: A TechnicalDescription (Boekelheide, 98) details technical aspects of Charlotte's home composting system.)

Free b in &t r ibuW: Mecklenburg County has sponsored5 free bin distributions, each with a livedemonstration of the composting method. The first was held at the Compost G ardenin the fall of 1996; the others asgrant-funded 'Neighborhood Compost Fairs' at school and community garden sites in Charlotte in the fall of 1997.The county has distributed over500bins through these events.

. . . .

On soi n* evaluation and research: Workshops, free bin distributions, and the compost method itself are thesubjectsof continuous evaluation and on-going research.The bins set up during hands-on workshops are a valuablesource of information on the composting process, and have helped fine-tune the compost method we teach.

All workshop participants fill out an evaluation form after each workshop. Both the workshop instructor and

Solid Waste Management staff review these evaluations. Staff recently conducted a well-designed survey of allrecipients of free bins during the 'Compost Fairs', with assistancein procedure and data analysis fromDr. DianeZablotskyof the University ofNorth Carolina, Charlotte Department of Anthropology and Sociology.

e activities: Solid Waste Managementis considering a new compost demonstration site closerIOdowntown Charlotte,in cooperation with M ecklenburg CountyPark and Recreation; a 'Master Composter/Recycler'program modeled on the Cooperative Extension 'Master Gardener' program; offering more information and possiblyworkshops on natural landscaping, grasscycling, compostuse in gardens, and vermiculture; and creating schoolmaterials for science education based on compostinp and vermiculture. Ann Gill has joined the Waste Reductionstaff to manage and expand the home composting program. under the directionof Waste Reduction ProgramManager Loret Hall.

DISCUSSION

The imwrtanc e of hom e comDosting: Although the amount of compost processedin a home bin is tinycomparedto that processedin large composting operations, there are nonetheless unique strong points for a backyardapproach.As Chiras pointsout:

-- 'Leaves, grass clippings, branches, and organic lutchen wastes can be depositedin small backyardbins where they decompose over time. Far less energy intensive than municipal compostingprograms, which often require weekly pickups and massive machineryto process the compost.abackyard compost bin takes very little effort on the part of the homeowner. Bacterial and othermicroorgan isms do most of the work . An occasional application of water and a periodic turningofthe pile is about all a homeowner need doLo produce a rich organic soil supplement' (Chiras, 92).

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Home composters also play a role in shaping the public perception of compostlng. Home composters can bepersuasive 'good will ambassadors'for composting, both 'macro' and 'micro', able to explrun the benefitsofcomposting across the back fence to neighbors who have little knowledge and sometime negative stereotypes aboutcomposting.

'Museum' r 'Model'? Home composters can choose am ong scores of compost-making devices available forpurchase, some sturdy and effective,others less so. Reflectingthe marketplace, some home composting programspresent would-be hom e composters with a host of choices. Many hom e compost demonstrationareas, notably TheN H S National Home Compost Park,are organized as 'compost bin museums', featuring everything from woodenthree unit compost bins to rotating compost tumblers.

Charlotte's Compo st G ardenused the 'museum' approach when it first opened. Over time, however, Charlotte'sprogram has changed direction. Instead of offenng a 'museum', the Compost Garden and workshops now emphasizea 'model', a single inexpensive reliable m ethod of com posting that is easy to master.

Which app roach is better? Each has advantages and disadvantages, andthe wo are not mutually exclusive.

A 'museum'-style composting demonstration site is relatively easy toset up if fundsare available, and requireslittle home composting expertise. Building a garden is thetype of project that attracts volunteers and favorable presscoverage. However, oncethe site is completed, someone must continue to work on a regular basis to keepit in good

condition, especially if binsare used to make compost a s a demonstration.This has proven difficult logisticallyin

Charlotte.A poorly m aintained site may hurt home composting's public image more than it helps.

A 'model' approach does not even require a permanent site, although one is helpful. Classes to teachordemonstrate the model can be held at community or school gardens, in backyards, or wherever materials and spaceare available. However, designing a mode) system and teaching hands-on compost ciassesrequires staff skilled inboth home composting and teachmgor extension. (Influential and effective home composting teachers, suchas JimMcNelly or Richard Mem ll, make and use compost in their own gardens, andhave years of experience doingso.)InCharlotte, community m embers withthe needed expertise are hired on a contract basis, w hc h requires county stafftime for working with and managing contracts.A good working relationship among all partiesis essential. Somecommunities draw on Master Gardeners or specially trained Master Co mp ose r volunteersas teachers, but this alsorequires staff time to train, organize and suppo rt the volunteers.

: Many enthusiastic novice com po sm s arealso enthusiastic but novice

gardeners, with little idea of how to use compost most effectively in their gardens. Home composting classes mustteach how to use compost.An obvious allyin t h i s effort is Cooperative Extension, pmcularly Master Gardeners.Ahandout or brochure illustrating compost use and listing optimum amounts for differentpurposes (for instance.initial vegetablebed preparation, topdressingshrubs, and so on) makes a helpful addition to workshop materials.

of d i v e r s i u cost - -r t m Estimating the cost-per-tonneof home compostingprograms is difficult, since much depends on the behavior of the co mp ose r(for instance- How many piles do theymakeper year?Do they compost kitchen scraps as wellas leaves? ). Further research in this area. especiallyfollowing up with workshop participants to assess their composting patterns, wouldbe of great value. For this paper.the cost-per-tonne estimate uses reasonable assumptions based on personal experience with home composting.discussions with w orkshop participants, and the recently com pleted survey of Compost Fair participants.

Since 1994, approximately 840 tonnes (924 tons) of waste have been diverted by the home compostingprogram. The wasteis mostly leaf drop, with some garden debris and kitchen scraps. The estimated cost per tonneS21.4Monne ($19.48/ton), comparing favorably with the costof large scale MSW compostingat $50 per ton(Renkow. 96). The cost per ton for the home composting program will continue to drop each year the programIS i noperation. Alameda County estimates the cost of their home composting program to be Sl8/ton($1 9.80/tonne)(Alameda,1997).This does not consider the valueof compost to residents. Using assumptions based on the survey,home composters have produced over275 tonnes of comp ost for home use. At the retail price of$3.75per bag (1.5f t 3 (-40 Ib, or -18 kg)), home composters would have paid over $160,000 for an equal amountof Charlotte'smunicipal yard wastecompost purchased bagged at the garden store.

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CONCLUSION

Charlotte's home composting program has made a positive contribution to waste reduction and a healthierenvironment since its beginnings in 1993.This cooperative effort hasbeen lead by Mecklenburg County SolidWaste Management, in partnership with NC State Cooperative Extension and citizen environmental groups.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg's popular programhas supplied over1500 familieswith the materials and know-how

they need to compost successfully at home, by teaching them a simple composting method that works. Thesesuccessful home composters reduce the amount of material which large public composting facilities must process,act as 'good will ambassadors' for composting with their neighbors and friends, and make a personal contribution towaste reduction and the env ironment wh ile improving their own garden soil.

REFERENCES

Boekelheide, D.H. (1998) Charlotte-Mecklenburg's Hands-on Composting Workshops and Home CompostingMethod: A Technical Description. CompostingIn Th e Southeast 1998 Conference Proceedings. Sept 9-1 1,1 99 8,Athens, GA, USA

Chiras, D.D.,1992. Lesson s From N ature: Learning to Live Sustainably on theEarth. sland Press, Wastungton, DC,

Come11 University, 1998. Com postingWWW site: http:lhvww.cals.cornell.edu/dept/compos tGolueke, C.G. 1977. Biological Reclamationof Solid Wastes. Rodale Press, Ernmaus, PA, USA, 249 pp.Haug, R.T. 1993 . The Practical Handbook of Compost Engineering. Lewis,Boca RatonFL USA. 717 pp.Homt? Compost, 1998. Home composting listserv (email linked discussiongroup): compostBlistproc.wsu.edu Gold, M.V., 1997. Compost: Small-scale and Backyard Systems, 1990-June 1997. USDA, ARS, National

Agricultural Library, Beltsville,ML, USA. 25 pp.Johnson, H.J.1995. Backyard composting education programs. Biocycle, January 1995.75-77Keyser, J.M., 1993 . Com post Factsheets. American Horticultural Society , Alexandria, VA, USA, 1993. National

Home Composting Park pamphlets(series).Renkow, M. and Rubin, A.R.. 1996. Municipal Solid Waste Composting: D oes It Mak e Economic Sense?

Composting in the Carolinas conference proceedings, Oct. 23-25, 1996, Myrtle Beach. SC, USA. ClemsonUniversity, Clemson, SC, USA. pp. 87-94.

1007pp.

Seattle, WA. USA, 1997

Bellingham, WA ,USA, 1991

USA, pp 203-204

Rodale. J.I., 1973. The Complete Book of Compostinp. Rodale Books, Emmaus. PA, USA.

Seattle, 1997. Seattle Public Utilities pamphlet series. Seattle Public Utilities Solid Waste Management Division,

VanMiert, J., 1991. Home Composting: Master Composter Training Manual. Washington State University,

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Don Boekelheideis Home Com posting Coordinator for Charlotte-Mecklenburg. Heis a graduate of UC SantaBarbara and the California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly). SanLuis Obispo. Heserved as a Peace Corpsagriculture volunteer and trainerin West Africa, and is a North Carolina Master Gardener. Coniaci him atdhoekBaol.com.

Brenda Barger is a staff member at Mecklenburg County Waste Reduction, andhas worked with Charlotte-Mecklenburg's Home Com posting Program from the beginning. Contact her [email protected].

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encouraging home composting the hands-on way: lessons from charlotte nc

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