astm d6400 | Crazy About Compost

How Not to Collect Organics (easy fix)

I love raccoons, but we need to make it a little harder for them in order to let composting become the norm. When people think of compost, they think of smelly, slimy food waste mixed with manure- gotta change that perception. ...looks like this place needs some help from their composting service, doesn't it? These toters are excellent- Sturdy rubber wheels on a metal axle, strong clasps, and a smooth interior that makes it easy to clean them out. However, organics need to be collected in ASTM D6400 compostable bags so they can break down appropriately along with the food scraps (totally possible they ran out temporarily, but just sayin'). If the toters aren't shut properly, all kinds of pests will be attracted to them, and rightfully so. As I…

Funky Compost Toter

I was out for a stroll recently and I scoped out this roughed up compost toter. Looks like it gets a lot of use. Of course, I had to open it up and take a look inside. Yum! It looks like they don't use any sort of liner... I don't blame them, they're expensive! However, having a raw container like this gets pretty nasty. I could smell it pretty well before I opened the lid, that's for sure. The wonderful aromas of an unlined compost toter can't do anything but hurt the "movement". Then again, I guess it's not so much different than a can full of garbage (garbage being defined as "wet" waste, which includes food). On the underside of the lid, there were plenty of friends hanging out:…

When the Left-Hand doesn’t know what the Right-Hand (PLA) is doing.

originally found here: http://woodsend.org/2013/09/left-hand-doesnt-right-hand-pla-doing/ American and European consumers are very familiar with PLA widely marketed as compostable for just about everything from chip-bags to golf-tees. This renowned PLA, a biological plastic made from a “left-hand” lactic-acid molecule, also has a quirk: it requires a pre-heat phase before it will actually biodegrade. That trait is referred to as Tg or “glassy transition” in the trade. Tg is a feature of all plastics and can occur over a very wide range of temperatures, but none as convenient as PLA’s at 55-58°C, making it eligible to be called compostable,- that is, if the compostability test is conducted at or just above the Tg temperature. To be certified compostable means a standard is upheld such as ASTM 6400 for USA or EN 13432 for…