composting
"Nature has no interest in the preservation of her dead; her purpose is to start their elements upon the eternal road to life once more." ~ Loren Eisley
OvERVIEW
Students might be surprised to learn that up to a third of the garbage they throw out each week can be turned into compost – nutrient-rich soil generated from well-decomposed food and organic wastes. Composting on your schoolyard site allows you to speed up this natural process, reducing the amount of waste your school produces and creating rich soil for your school grounds. Composting will also challenge students to apply many of the chemical and biological concepts that they’ve learned in the classroom.
Most backyard composting techniques can be easily adapted for a schoolyard environment. To build a successful compost pile you will need an equal amount (in weight) of “green” ingredients (food scraps, tea and coffee grounds, garden wastes, etc.) and “brown” materials (autumn leaves, paper, hay, etc.). These ingredients can be easily found within most schools and school grounds.
TimeFRame
There are many different types of composting methods, each with different time and cost requirements. Creating an (outdoor) compost pile and composting with worms (either indoors or outdoors) are two good options for schoolyard projects. A compost pile is low-cost and low maintenance, yet it can take up to two years to generate compost. Using a worm composting bin is slightly costlier, yet it can generate compost in as little as a few weeks.
land use
The minimum size for a compost pile is one cubic yard (3’x 3’x 3’). Although you will not need a large space for your compost pile, location is very important. Try to pick a spot that is level and far from trees and shrubs whose roots might be pushed up into the pile. You should also consider both convenience and appearance.
Materials
Materials will vary depending on the composting system you choose. For all methods you will need green (rich in Nitrogen) and brown (rich in Carbon) ingredients, air, water, a well-ventilated bin or barrel to hold the compost or an appropriate space for a compost pile, and various tools to turn and maintain the pile. If composting outdoors, you should use a closed container, so that you don’t attract rodents to your schoolyard. For worm composting, or vermicomposting, you will need a storage container that provides ventilation and twenty-five Red (wrigglers) worms per shoe-box sized area. .
EDUCATIONAL THEMES
Gardening, chemistry, agriculture, waste management, recycling, nutrition
Additional resources
Bull Frog Films: Compost Video
Earthworks: Worm Composting
Government of New Brunswick: Composting Activities
Master Composting: Overview of Process and Types
Cornell University: Composting in schools
National Gardening Association