Pedal People Compost is Decomposing
The Pedal People pilot compost program is off to a great start. Not only have we been able to produce high quality compost but it has also greatly reduced the amount of trash that would have otherwise gone into our landfill. According to the Center for Ecological Technology, Compostable waste in Massachusetts accounts for as much as 70% of the states Municipal Solid Waste by weight, we are committed to bringing that percentage down.
What happens to the food scraps?
After the food scraps leave your home or office they get taken by bicycle to the Montview Neighborhood Farm, on Montview Avenue in Northampton. The food scraps go into a wire mesh bin and get layered with leaves, straw and other carbon rich materials. Once the 4’ x 4’ bin gets filled, about a month, the pile gets turned. This allows oxygen to get into the pile and helps to speed up the process of decomposition. At that time large pieces of food scraps that haven’t broken down get moved to a new pile and chopped up with a shovel. We also get a better idea of what is going on with the pile and can add the necessary amendments; cover it if it is too wet, water if its dry etc. After this first turn the compost heats up again and sits for another couple weeks and gets turned again. By this time we have finished compost. You can tell when the pile is ready by the sweet earthy smell of the material and the low temperature in the center of the pile. You can also find the famed composting worm Eisenia Fetida, or the California Redworm.
What do you do with the finished compost?
After the compost is finished the farm shovels an inch of it onto its beds. Compost has many benefits for the soil. It feeds the soils creatures all the way from the smallest bacteria to the longest worm. Once the organisms are fed it, allows more nutrients to be available to the plants. It also helps improve the soil structure by its crumbly texture that retains air and moisture, and when used as mulch can prevent weed seeds from germinating.
I want to have a compost pile but I don’t have enough space?
Pedal People can help you identify others in your neighborhood that would be interested in composting together. Three customers on Williams Street all share the same pile. One neighbor has room in her backyard, they take turns with maintenance and share in the benefits of the finished compost. Another option is an indoor worm box or vermicomposting.
I don’t know where to begin or I tried it once but it didn’t work?
Pedal People can help you set up a pile, answer questions about maintenance, send out a compost doctor and if there are enough people interested do a compost workshop. The Montview Neighborhood Farm also holds compost workshops both on outdoor piles and indoor worm boxes. You can contact Lisa DePiano for more information at lisa@pedalpeople.com
