Composting: organic waste

Composting: organic waste

Composting: organic matter accounts for more than 40% of our garbage bag. In addition, organic matter is essential for our soils, many of them in desertification processes ( Advantages of Composting ) . Proper management of these wastes is essential through the practice of decentralized composting and selective separation at source where composting has to be centralized.

Organic matter is the most abundant element in the garbage bag. But its current management is very poor. It is mostly collected mixed with the rest of the waste not destined for recycling, and in the best case, it is separated in triage plants, to then carry out a process that was previously called composting. The result, called compost, is of poor quality, so farmers are not willing to apply it on their land. With the new waste law of 2011, this material can no longer be called compost, but biostabilized material. The compost will be the one made from the selective separation in origin of the organic matter. In 2020, 50% of the organic matter must be recycled.

With these premises, in Amigos de la Tierra we request, and propose as a better option for local administrations the implementation of the separation at source of the organic fraction of waste . There are several collection systems, an extra container or door-to-door separation. In addition, by separating the compostable part from the rest of the waste, the non-recyclable fraction could be analyzed, to reduce it to the maximum.

We also work to promote domestic and community composting , in which citizens can compose their organic waste ( composting manual ) or by obtaining an excellent quality fertilizer. These projects have been underway for more than 10 years, with more than 30,000 participants. The benefits of these projects are very wide, reduction of waste in the municipal circuit, citizen involvement, environmental education and reduction of CO2 emissions ( Composting: recipe to reduce the carbon footprint ).

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Information on the following links: Composting and European Bioplastics

Information on the following links: Composting and European Bioplastics

The organic amendment compost brings many important benefits to the soil:

•     Contribution of organic matter, biofertility, improvement of structure and water retention, etc.
•     Carbon sequestration in the soil, therefore, increases the potential of the soil as a carbon sink. The continued incorporation of organic matter in the soil, means that the level of organic carbon is stabilized at higher levels in relation to that existing at the beginning of applications.
•     Reduction of erosion and degradation of the soil, contribution to avoid or reverse desertification processes.
•     Substitution of chemical fertilizers and / or other organic amendments that entail environmental benefits due to energy savings and emissions, as well as economic.

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The physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the compost allow this material to be used in different fields and activities obtaining very positive results:

•     As a natural fertilizer in extensive and organic farming (cereals, vegetable garden, fruit growing, grapevine, etc.).
•     As a fertilizer in gardening, both public and private, and in the formulation of substrates.
•     As an element to restore degraded soils in public works projects (closure of landfills, slope regeneration, etc.) or in the restoration of extractive activities.

From ASOBIOCOM compostability is promoted as a complementary way to existing ones. Organic matter is a very important part of waste. Your aerobic treatment can allow you to obtain a quality compost that can be used as fertilizer in agriculture.

In this sense, the BioCom are an extraordinary aid to enhance this route, since without any separation or prior treatment they can go along with the organic to an industrial composting plant to be transformed into compost.

To be suitable for composting, products and materials must meet the strict criteria of the European standard EN 13432 on industrial compostability. After certification, these products and materials can be advertised and labeled as compostable. To see the logos that identify compostability according to this standard .

Composters installed in our city

Composters installed in our city

In Cornellà we have been composting since November 2008 and at the beginning of 2017 we had distributed more than one hundred and sixty-eight vermicomposters and two hundred and one garden composters to neighbors of Cornellà. There are also one hundred and twenty-nine garden composters in the plots of municipal gardens.

One of the remarkable characteristics is that Cornellà is one of the municipalities that has more vermicompostadores of all the Spanish State.

We calculate that with all these composters we manage about 20,000 kg of organic waste that is transformed into about 5,000 kg of compost, since in the composting process a large amount of water is lost, which also constitutes, diluted, a perfect food for our plants.

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Do you want to make composting in your home?

Do you want to make composting in your home?

The City Council of Cornellà offers the citizens free materials for composting, as well as the necessary training and indefinite monitoring. It is an indispensable condition that the composter be installed in a house in the municipality of Cornellà de Llobregat.

compost Once the person shows interest in composting, the model that best fits their needs will be studied. Not much space is necessary, since compostadors have a small size. There are two types: the terrace and the garden. You can also use the garden with base for large terraces with many plants.

The City Council of Cornellà de Llobregat, through the Metropolitan Area of ​​Barcelona, ​​belongs to the “ Composta en Red ” entity, local entities throughout the State to develop experiences of domestic and community composting.

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What is composting?

What is composting?

Domestic composting is a measure to reduce the organic waste that we usually throw into the collection containers of this waste (fruit remains, vegetables, eggshells, used napkins, pruning remains ...). Composters are tools to recycle this organic matter domestically and compost (fertilizer) for ornamental or horticultural plants that we have in our homes.

The compound is a substrate that provides food to plants. Further:

•     Stimulates its growth
•     Improves soils and protects them against erosion
•     Increase resistance of plants to diseases

The tranquility of knowing that there are no chemicals on earth makes it possible to enjoy without danger for children or adults.

In nature we find an equivalent to compost, humus, which is this type of black soil that we find in the forest, under the trees. It originates from leaf litter, branches and other organic remains that accumulate in the soil. The organisms that live in it are responsible for carrying out this process.

At home, the composter is the most suitable container for depositing the remains of our plants and the kitchen. It is designed to maintain the best conditions for the composting process to occur efficiently and comfortably.

In addition, with composting we reduce the emissions of gases that can contribute to climate change. If we do not transport our waste over long distances, we save energy and pollute less.

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Recipe to prepare homemade compost

Recipe to prepare homemade compost

There are many different recipes or ways to compost or prepare homemade compost, but the one we propose below is one of the simplest, so the whole family can enjoy this rewarding experience. We have extracted the data for the most part from the Composting Manual published by the Ministry of Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs of the Government of Spain, a very interesting document that will serve to complement the information that we summarize below.

The basic steps to prepare a quality homemade compost are three: prepare the composter, add organic waste in layers and, finally, hydrate your organic fertilizer well.

Step 1. Prepare the composter

Compost homemade composter

As we said before, the composter is simply the box or container in which we will be adding the different layers of waste that will form our homemade compost.

You can really use and recycle almost anything : a wooden box, a work plank base, a large pot or planter that you no longer use ... Any container will serve you as long as it is not in direct contact with the ground . In this way, if you use a pot or a plastic box, make some holes in the base and place a first layer of soil and a second layer of dry materials such as straw, remains of pruning branches, sawdust, etc. These first dry layers will prevent the bottom of your composter from rotting and spoiling the mixture.

Step 2. Add organic waste

Something that you have to be very clear and transmit to the children of the house is that the composter is not a garbage can, but a container that will then enrich the land of our urban garden or the plants of our pots .

In this container we will add different products or wastes, such as peeled vegetables and fruits, sprigs and dried leaves of the hedges or plants we have pruned, coffee grounds, eggshells, etc. Experts recommend that we interleave layers of different wet or green and dry products, so that we will achieve that optimal balance that a quality homemade compost needs.

Step 3. Water the homemade compost

Our homemade organic fertilizer needs a certain degree of humidity to be able to form that handmade fertilizer that will enrich our organic crops. Thus, it is necessary that we water it from time to time without flooding the container, but ensuring that moisture penetrates the different layers that we have been adding to our compost box.

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Homemade compost: 3 basic ideas

Homemade compost: 3 basic ideas

Preparing our homemade compost has hardly any difficulty, but we must have clear three important ideas before starting:

1. We will need a composter to grow our homemade compost, a suitable container in which to add the raw material that, little by little, will become compost. We can buy this container or, better yet, build our own recycling and giving a second life to objects that have already completed their initial work such as, for example, old pots, work pallets, wooden fruit boxes, etc.

2. Our mix of homemade compost will grow from different types of raw materials : eggshells, fruit and vegetable peels, potato skins, twigs, fresh straw, wet grass, coffee grounds ... The key is in combining the sugar, cellulose and nitrogen of the different organic wastes in order to prepare that organic fertilizer which, in essence, is homemade compost.

3. The most important risk of preparing homemade compost is that the wastes rot and we get nothing more than an informed and pestilent mass. We will avoid that risk in two ways:

•     Interposing wet and dry wastes in alternate layers .
•     Periodically ventilating our compost mass.

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