A Campus wide Composting Proposal - Essay Example

A Campus wide Composting Proposal (i) Introduction Composting is a term which is got from the word compost. A compost deals with organic farming which is a broad branch is agriculture used to define something that is done in agriculture without use of any chemicals or fertilizers. Therefore composting is a natural process used to recycle organic materials that have already decomposed. This process leads to an end product known as compost which is also referred to as rich soil or manure from an agricultural perspective. All living things end up decomposing upon death. This decomposing process or decay is vital as it ensures that all our organic wastes return their nutrients back to the soil and this ensures that life cycle continues. For the decomposition to occur anaerobic digestion should take place to accelerate the process. This is seen to overtake composting and it has been used in many countries where they have been down cycling waste organic matter. In composting there must be careful selection of the materials to be composted. The reason is because there are some materials which have shown high performance in composition than others. The materials can also be selected with consideration of the locality where one wants to set the compost. This process has been said to be very beneficial to the environment (Sanchez-Monedero, Roig, Paredes and Bernal, 301). There are some scientific and technological approaches which can be used to make the decomposition fast. This is however not encouraged because the whole process aims at using only what is natural and not man-made. In setting compost there is need to make the best preparations for the same so that the process does not work half way. There are different methods of decomposition but are broadly divided into three namely backyard composing, warm decomposing and grass cycling. The three are very different however they all use natural materials. Backyard decomposing involves the use of food scraps, grass clippings which are normally referred to as greens and also use of straws and fallen leaves referred to as browns which are mostly found in the backyard. This method involves the balance of the greens and the browns. To promote this process, some elements of nature need to be present. They include: air, moisture and temperature (Sabine, Konschinsky, Stefanie, Frank and Tebbe, 930). Worm compositing also known as vermin-composting is commonly used by individuals with a tiny backyard and where food scraps are in abundance. This process is mainly used by individuals living in apartments. Based on their natural habitats decaying leaving leaves, compost piles and piles of manure, the worms are domesticated to live in shallow bins in the compound and this diverts all food wastes from being dumped to the landfills and water treatment facilities. Grass cycling involves leaving of grass clippings that one does not intend to use. The grass clippings just left to decompose on the lawn. The basic rule in grass cycling is that the grass should not be cut to more than one third the blade of the grass at any given time. Proper mowing should be maintained and one should always ensure that the mower blades are sharp and that the grass is dry. Watering the lawns early in the morning and applying fertilizer is essential. The main aim of compositing is to supply additives to the soil through supplying of humus and nutrients. It provides the best environmental conditions which will make the plants to healthy and also to grow fast (Marek, Michael, Kathleen, and Zaremba, 810). (ii) Problem definition There are a number of food waste management and are based on the various ways of reducing food waste. The first and important method to avoid food waste is first by making a list of what you intent to prepare. This involves designing a menu that helps to plan the meal one intents to prepare for a given timeframe for instance a week. This is best achieved by cross checking what you intend to purchase “with what you already have in your cupboards and fridge” (Bernal, Alburquerque, and Moral, 8444). After this, one proceeds to make a shopping list for the extras that one needs. This ensures that a person purchases what is really needed, the correct quantity hence there is no food waste (Bernal, Alburquerque, and Moral, 8444). Another method of food waste management is ensuring that one sticks to his or her shopping list. To achieve this, it is advisable that you always take your list to the food store and one should not be tempted with offers and promotions as this makes one to end up going back home with more than he or she needed (Sanchez-Monedero, Roig, Paredes and Bernal, 303). Keeping a healthy fridge is also an essential method of food waste. This is achieved by frequent check of the seals in the fridge to ensure that they are in proper condition and that the temperature is well regulated. To ensure maximum freshness, a temperature of one to five degrees Celsius is recommended (Marek, Michael, Kathleen, and Zaremba, 808). Throwing away food leads to food waste. Priority should be given to foods that have been stored for long in the cupboards or fridge. For instance, vegetables with wilting signs can be used to make soup while fruits that have stayed for long and are turning soft can be used to make fruit piles or smoothies. This ensures that all the food that has already been bought is utilized. Use of food left-over is essential if food waste is to be curbed. Left over should not be scrapped to the dust bins. Instead, they can be used to prepare the next ingredients. For instance, leftover cooked vegetables can be use in a spoonful mode to form a crock pot meal base. Rotating all the food stuffs in the fridge reduces food waste. This is achieved by ensuring that all old food stuffs in the fridge and cupboards are brought to the front after every purchase of food stuff. This reduces the risk of using all the food stuffs in the front rows only to find moldy foodstuffs at the rear rows of the fridge and cupboards (Wery, Lhoutellier, Ducray and Godon, 48). Serving small amounts during meals is also essential when it comes to food waste management. This ensures that the cooked food stays fresh because everybody come back for more only when they have cleared what the already have in their plates. This best applies to children since their consummation is mostly unpredictable. Once everyone is satisfied, leftover can easily be cooled and stored in the fridge for future use. This is far much better compared to where all the food is served and some are unable to clear their plates which makes the leftover more prone to contamination hence being scraped to the dust bin (Vivas, Moreno, Rodriguez and Benitez, 1316). Turning of unavoidable food wastes into garden food is also a good way of managing food wastes. Unavoidable food wastes like vegetable and fruit feelings can be put in a compost bin and within a few months one is able to get valuable and rich compost that can be used for plants and flowers in the compound (Bernal, Alburquerque, and Moral, 8447). Freezing of food ensures that shelve life of that food stuff is extended. Already cooked foods can also be freeze to avoid it going stale. There are a number of advantages for decomposing but are not limited to; decomposing reduces problems caused by pests significantly which translates to minimal use of pesticides, decomposing also ensures that organic materials are added to the soil and this ensures that moisture retention to the soil improves. Decomposing also ensures that that your plants or flowers are well fed with your own diet as compared plants that grow in depleted soils whose nutrients content are low (Sanchez-Monedero, Roig, Paredes and Bernal, 305). .Home compositing also serves as a valuable tool to educate children and the general public on nature and life cycle. Decomposing also ensures that food and yard waste that mostly constitute of up to 30% of the waste in our surrounding is diverted from waterways, landfills and facilities that are used to treat water. Lastly, decomposing saves money that is used to buy soil conditioners and all other equipments used in pest control (Sabine, Konschinsky, Stefanie, Frank and Tebbe, 933). (iii) Proposed solution and plan of action The proposed plan of action is to set up a composting process in the campus and I intent to use the back yard composting method. This is because it is easy to manage and environmentally friendly. To start with, we need to understand that since the beginning of human life and earth, nature has always been composting so this method will be able to tackle all organic waste in the campus. In back yard process we will use the same principles used by nature for compost only that the environment will be sped up to support microbial activity (Marek, Michael, Kathleen, and Zaremba, 810). First we will need to build a pile. The first activity here is to choose a location for the pile. The compost pile or bin can either be located in a shady or sunny area. There is no problem of having the pile on a shady area since it’s the microbes that heats the pile not the sun. The pile should be on a well drained surface and accessibility to water, food wastes, grass clippings and leaves should be considered (Sabine, Konschinsky, Stefanie, Frank and Tebbe, 934). After identifying the location and setting up the pile we move to the next step of adding the materials. The raw materials here will be the leaves, grass and food scraps collected from the campus compound. We may add sixty percent of leaves and the rest use food scraps and grass. The raw materials may need to be chopped into small pieces as this increases the surface area for bacteria action (Sanchez-Monedero, Roig, Paredes and Bernal, 306). As we build the pile, the next step will be to add water. This ensures evenly distribution of moisture through the pile. Moisture is also essential as microbes will need moisture to for survival. The next step will be to turn the pile. This will be done periodically and it has a number of benefits which includes the following: odor problems are reduced, the components in the pile are well oxygenated having in mind oxygen is essential for organisms survival, the compacted materials are broken hence increasing surface area for microbial activity, unwanted disease-causing organisms are destroyed and it also ensures that more food is provided for the microbial at the pile centre (Wery, Lhoutellier, Ducray and Godon, 62). There are two ways of composting, namely, hot/fast composting and slow/passive composting. Hot/fast composting involves mixing green and brown materials and keeping them damp and aerated in the pile by turning or mixing them once or twice a week. Its advantage is that it’s the quickest method and can best control weed seed and pathogens. The slow/ passive composting involves laying kitchen scraps and browns in the compost bin making sure that the kitchen scraps are thoroughly covered with browns every time. Each batch is watered to ensure that moisture is evenly distributed. After the first bin is filled one can start a second bin. After a year, the first bin or file will now have decomposed enough for use. It’s an advantage is that it requires a low level on management. The compost will be ready when the pile materials turns dark brown, shows high percentage of rich humus and a forest floor like smell. The un-decomposed materials will be screened with a fourteen inch hardware cloth so that the larger materials are left and this process can be repeated until it is finished (Marek, Michael, Kathleen, and Zaremba, 813). This compost has a number of general purposes. For instance it can be used as a soil condition in that it helps in aerating clay soil and increase moisture holding capacity in sandy soils, it can be used for top dressing and can be spread around shrubs and trees, The compost from the pile will be used to plant vegetables for the campus use; it can also be used to plant trees and flowers for campus use or for commercial purpose. The use of compost will ensure that the school compound remains clean and tide, food scraps will not block our sinks and drainage systems (Bernal, Alburquerque, and Moral, 8449). This can be supported by the use of compost by Ithaca College, a project that started in January 1993 to compost food scraps collected from the dining halls. The manure from Ithaca college compost has been experimented with soil ratios in seed germination, field tests and transplants and it has been used in planting ornamental beds on the campus and has also been used as top dressing to campus lawns (Sabine, Konschinsky, Stefanie, Frank and Tebbe, 936). (iv) Engaging counter arguments One of the setbacks will be on how to select the raw materials based on what to avoid and why. For instance should avoid use of diseased plants since diseased plants can spread in a situation where the pile fails to get hot enough, weeds with seeds should be avoided since the seeds may sprout into roots and can be transferred to the field with manure, dog and cat waste should also be avoided as this may have parasites and diseases that can affect humans, metal scraps, cheese and bones should also be avoided because they attract animals, smells badly and takes a lot of time to break down, treated logs should also not be used as they may contain high percentage of chemicals, charcoal does not break down in compost hence should also be avoided, organics with toxic chemicals like pesticides should not be included in the pile since the toxics may kill or harm soil organisms when the manure is late transferred to the field (Sanchez-Monedero, Roig, Paredes and Bernal, 307). To counteract the above, careful selection will be done also taking note on how to dispose those organics that cannot be used in the pile. For instance, diseased plants and weeds with seeds can be collected and piled together then burnt. The other set back is the cost of constructing and running the compost pile. the cost of constructing will not be much since we can use the existing raw materials in the campus compound, we will not need to pay people to collect the raw materials since the grounds men can collect the grass and leaves as they trim the compound and they can also be assigned the job of watering the pile and turning the compost, again, since this will be a project for the whole community, everyone will be responsible for the project. The small cash that will be released after selling seedlings and flowers grown using the manure will be given as an external motivation for those who show active participation for the project (Sanchez-Monedero, Roig, Paredes and Bernal, 308). (v) Conclusion Composting is a method that has been widely used in many colleges and universities. In our school there is a lot of food waste. This comes from foods that are thrown away. The food is wasted as people fail to budget. Then the need for making this food waste into use arises. This simply calls for composting. It has been done in other learning institutions where food waste is abundant. We aim at making our own compost. This in many cases has been said to be expensive since it will need preparation for the compost pit. Despite this there are some strategies we will have to follow so that the whole process of setting the compost becomes cheap and effective. We will and other materials so that the decomposition of the food waste becomes effective. The compost will be put into use for instance though planting of crops, fruits and vegetables on the pit. This will help to bring forth the capital that was used in setting the whole thing. Also the foods that will e grown will be fed by the students. It will automatically go for little prices thus the students will be able to save some cash which they can use for other purposes. The administration should give support to this as a process which will help the institution to grow. This has been analyzed as a project that can be achieved as other learning institutions have done it. Since the benefits of the process are not only good to the students but also to the environment, the school environment shall be utilized effectively thus making it beneficial. This is a good chance which can bring tremendous changes to the school fraternity. The external community can also benefit from the same and therefore it will also be involved in the process where necessary. This has been observed to be a good method that will convert waste products to useful forms. This is a good idea which has been supported in agriculture. It is very resourceful and it will bring about corporation between the students, administration and also the outside environment. It will make the school to be an open system which will see the school to develop in other areas. Works Cited Bernal, M.P., Alburquerque, J.A. and Moral. R. Composting of animal manures and chemical criteria for compost maturity assessment. A review 100. 22 (2009): 5444-5453. Marek, Krzymien, Michael, Day, Kathleen, Shaw and Zaremba, Lillian. An investigation of odours and volatile organic compounds released during composting. Journal of the air & amp; waste management association 49 (1999): 804-813. Sabine, Peters, Konschinsky, Stefanie, Schwieger, Frank and Tebbe, C. Christoph. Succession of Microbial Communities during Hot Composting as Detected by PCR–Single-Strand-Conformation Polymorphism-Based Genetic Profiles of Small-Subunit rRNA Genes. Applied and environmental microbiolo 66. 3 (2000): 930-936. Sanchez-Monedero, M., Roig, A., Paredes, C. and Bernal, M.P. Nitrogen transformation during organic waste composting by the Rutgers system and its effects on pH, EC and maturity of the composting mixtures. Journal of bioresource technology 78. 3 (2001): 301-308. Vivas, A., Moreno, B., Rodriguez, G. and Benitez, E. assembling the impact of composting on bacterial community size and structure, and microbial functional diversity of an olive-mill waste. Journal of bioresource technology100 3 (2009): 1319-1326. Wery, Nathalie, Lhoutellier, Claire, Ducray, Florence and Godon, J.J. Behavior of pathogenic and indicator bacteria during urban wastewater treatment and sludge composting, as revealed by quantitative PCR. Water research 42 (2008): 53-62. Read More