T – Page 102 – Crazy About Compost

Composting in the Winter

It's that time of year where the emails start coming in to ask how to keep composting through the winter. While it takes some up-front effort, it is possible. If you've already lost all the heat in the pile, keep adding to it until it can't get any bigger. Once the temperatures rise just enough for the process to get going again, it will. That's the bright side of those days we have each year in the winter where it's 60 degrees for no apparent reason. Collect as many bags of leaves as you can, since this will be your insulation and cover material throughout the winter. I slacked off this year, but still managed to shred a few bags' worth. Now's the time where covering your pile with a…

Communities fight planned compost operation at Hilo landfill (article)

Original source: http://hawaiitribune-herald.com/news/local-news/communities-fight-planned-compost-operation-hilo-landfill By NANCY COOK LAUER, West Hawaii Today Native Hawaiian communities in Keaukaha and Panaewa are gearing up to fight a planned composting facility adjacent to the Hilo landfill, a move that could jeopardize a key component of the county’s plan to close the landfill and recycle more of its waste. Residents, including Hilo Councilwoman-elect Sue Lee Loy, are asking for a more in-depth study than the environmental assessment currently underway. They’re seeking the more intensive environmental impact statement, or failing that, a study that takes into account all of the government facilities currently impacting the community. Bobby Yamada, treasurer of the Keaukaha-Panaewa Farmers Association, said the community opposes the plan. “Our position is no, because the community’s concerns have not been met,” Yamada said Monday. And some…

Naples-area compost operation growing and thriving (article)

Original article found here: http://www.mpnnow.com/news/20161128/naples-area-compost-operation-growing-and-thriving A small backyard compost turned into a rich farming operation in Prattsburgh that is keeping Naples-area food waste out of the landfill By Julie Sherwood (jsherwood@messengerpostmedia.com) Al Zappetella makes weekly rounds through Naples to pick up buckets of kitchen scraps. Barrels of discarded onion skins, banana peels, coffee grounds, egg shells, apple cores and other food waste — along with leaves, yard trimmings and other organic waste — get trucked a few miles down the road to Prattsburgh. Zappetella has been doing the free pickups for a few years now. That is, after he and partner Celeste Arlie realized they were outgrowing their small, backyard compost pile in Naples. Family, friends and neighbors began adding to the pile. It cut everyone’s household waste by more…