Compost is the aerobically decomposed remnants (waste) of organic matter.

Given enough time, all biodegradable material will compost, and the primary objective in the modern push to compost is to capture readily degradable materials so they do not enter landfills. However, most small-scale domestic systems will not reach sufficiently high temperatures to kill pathogens and weed seeds or deter vermin, so pet droppings, scraps of meat, and dairy products are often best left to operators of high-rate, thermophilic composting systems. Hobby animal manure (horses, goats), vegetable kitchen and garden waste are nevertheless all excellent raw material for home composting. Early roots of composting as a treatment for municipal solid waste were spurred by awareness of the trash crisis as early as the 1950s, and the rise worldwide of large MSW composting plants in the 1960s into the 1970s was virtually unregulated. Public outcry in Europe against contamination of soils on farms and vineyards from MSW compost containing residues of plastic, metals and glass triggered a shakeup of the industry, and in the 1980s a phasing out of MSW composting.

composting all your organic waste from home, school, and your community, could reduce the amount of landfill and incinerator waste by almost 400 pounds per year, save 4/27 cubic yards of landfill space.

MicroorganismsEdit

Microorganisms play a crucial role in the composting process. Without them, organic matter simply will not decompose. With the proper mixture of water, oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen, microorganisms are allowed to break down organic matter to produce compost^[1]. Microorganisms are absolutely necessary for the composting process and without them, organic matter in your compost heap cannot undergo the composting process^[2]. There are five types of microorganisms found in active compost^[3]:

• Bacteria- The most common of all the microorganisms found in compost.
• Actinomycetes- Necessary for breaking down paper products such as newspaper, bark, etc.
• Fungi- Molds and yeast help break down materials that bacteria cannot especially lignin in woody material.
• Protozoa- Help consume bacteria and fungi, balancing out the composting cycle.
• Rotifers- Rotifers also help break down organics in the compost and also ingest bacteria and fungi.

In addition, earth worms not only ingest partly composted material, but also continually re-create aeration and drainage tunnels as they move through the compost.

Different ways to compost...Edit

There are different ways to compost, starting with layers of 'brown' and 'green' biodegradable waste mixed with garden soil. 'Brown' waste refers to old straw, tough vegetable stems and hedge clippings. 'Green' waste refers to biodegradable waste that breaks down faster, such as fruit, coffee grounds, cut flowers, and grass clippings.

Compostable materialsEdit

• Coffee grounds
• Cocoa shells
• "Green" waste such as fresh grass clippings, green plant leaves and vegetable peelings
• Leaf mold (wet, rotting leaves)
• Manure of herbivores
• Spent mushroom compost
• Tree bark (preferrably shredded)
• Egg shells
• "Brown" waste such as small twigs, dried leaves, cardboard and newspaper (the last two in relatively smaller amounts, shredded)
• Fruit
• Vegetables

If you are able to compost in a very organized, hygenic manner at consistently high temperatures (over 160 degrees F) then you may also compost more traditionally questionable items:

• Humanure (human waste)
• Dog waste
• Cat waste
• Animal corpses

(For more information, please see Joseph Jenkins, Inc: http://www.jenkinspublishing.com/humanure.html)

ReferencesEdit

1. ↑ http://compost.css.cornell.edu/microorg.html
2. ↑ http://greenmi.net/compost-made-simple/
3. ↑ http://compost.css.cornell.edu/microorg.html

See alsoEdit

• Recycling
• Grasscycling