Tag: compost

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#MadeInSXM – An Upcycled Compost Tumbler

The team behind Macro Micros have created an upcycled compost tumbler that can handle a large variety of waste. This is perfect for those who want to compost more than the typical household compost tumbler allows. The rugged construction would work great for community composting! The next step up would be aerated static pile compost, which requires significantly more space, time, and investment.

Their clever design is stacked, allowing compost to be added to the top tumbler, then moved to the bottom tumbler for maturing. The steel drum is rodent resistant, and holds enough volume to reach thermophilic phase composting.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B0o1MRXBFMT/


Contact them on Facebook if you are interested in having an upcycled compost tumbler made for you! They can be made from recycled oil drums or recycled HDPE rum drums.

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Community Composting for Apartments

Community Composting for Apartments: A small area can be incredibly efficient.

One of the most frequent questions we get is “My apartment block has a small shared space and we would like to set up community composting, what do you suggest?”

One of the first steps is to get an idea of how many of your neighbors would like to contribute, as the solution for 4-5 households is quite different to the setup and management required for 20! Many systems are scaleable; you simply add more tumblers!

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Do you Bokashi?

Our tropical climate makes composting possible year round, but it does lead to one hurdle: how to stop food waste from fermenting before it is added to the compost pile. In cooler climates, compost collection services are common. However, in hot climates food waste should not sit at room temperature for more than a day. Bokashi composting in the tropics is perhaps the most effective solution.

Rot - An essential part of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Why Compost?

Compost enhances soil and protects watersheds.

Compost can filter out storm-water pollutants by 60-95%.

Compost holds 5x its weight in water,
reducing storm-water runoff.

Compost protects the climate by sequestering carbon.

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Composting PLA Plastic at Home

Most PLA plastic is marketed as compostable. However, when you read the fine print, most compostable PLA (polylactic acid) requires industrial facilities to break down. We have successfully been composting small amounts of PLA in our Pilot Compost Project using aerated static piles, but we also want to know what a typical home tumbler can handle.

Not all PLA is compostable, or even biodegradable. However, PLA meeting EN 13432 should compost in ideal conditions (ie commercial composting) without leaving behind and residues which can be toxic to the soil. PLA with the TUV OK HOME Compost (Formerly vincotte) should compost in the conditions found in the typical home pile.

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Batch 2 is Cooking – Green SXM Pilot Compost Project: Month 3

After a quiet July, August was a busy month for the Green SXM Pilot Compost Project.   The first batch of compost has been almost entirely used up, and chamber 1 of the composter is now full with batch 2.  Once again, the compost is hot (above 140 degrees Fahrenheit) , and aerated using forced air from a blower, reducing the frequency of turning the pile.

The second batch is full, and composting nicely at a steady 150 degrees Fahrenheit
Green SXM Pilot Compost Project – The second batch is full, and composting nicely at a steady 150 degrees Fahrenheit

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Green SXM Pilot Compost Project: Intro and Week 1

Green SXM Pilot Compost Project

The Green SXM Pilot Compost Project is an add-as-you-go pile designed and scaled to process the waste created in a restaurant that serves between 400-500 meals a week.  While the restaurant could provide more waste, we chose the 1 cubic meter limit because of the work required balancing the fruit and vegetable waste with enough carbon.  Also, 40-50 lbs of food waste every two days is just the right amount to mix in one standard size wheelbarrow.

Green SXM Pilot Compost Project: Week 1

Green SXM Pilot Compost Project: Week 1

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Waste Management in Saint Martin

It was wonderful to finally hear some facts and figures comparing waste management in Saint Martin with that of the South side in a Parliament Meeting.  There have been complaints of French trucks bringing French waste over the boarder (The Daily Herald, 21st March 2018)  – but few have gone far enough to explain why, until MP Frans Richardson mentioned it in Public Meeting #19.   (Link to the feed here – It starts about 1 hour 12 minutes into the meeting)

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