What Now? The County Compost Dream

The most fundamental question when it comes to backyard composting is why.  We can talk all we want about the who, what, when, where and how, but what really matters is the why.  Why should the average person participate in composting?  Backyard composting is a simple way for any person to make a positive impact on the environment. 

Although it can seem daunting, composting is a simple endeavor.  There is little to no startup cost.  Participation does not require formal training or expertise.  A compost pile requires little maintenance.  The various organic components decompose and transform into fertile, useful compost almost like magic.  Because of its simplicity, people with all kinds of interests, backgrounds, and circumstances can participate.  This means that composting is not just for a specific demographic, as it is sometimes portrayed.  Rather, composting can be for everyone.

Rather than focus on the daunting task of saving the earth, the environmental benefits of composting can be discussed in a very personal way.  Backyard composting improves my personal environment – the space around me.  Producing something useful instead of producing more trash is a significant positive impact.  In addition to less garbage, using compost in and around gardens and yards reduces the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.  The improved soil contributes to better produce and less water waste.  No money is wasted on chemical additives because the soil is naturally enriched through what would have otherwise been taking up space in the landfill. 

There is room for the moral argument to why.  Why bother to compost? Because we all share this beautiful, amazing planet, and if we are all willing to do our small part it really does add up to a big difference, as simple as that might sound.  Backyard composting really is a simple way for any person to make a positive impact.

After learning so many interesting things about backyard composting over the past seven weeks, I have been brave enough to let myself dream big, and I’ve even shared my big dreams with my family.  For now, our composting project is very small and simple, consisting of a few basic elements.  We have acquired an additional 13-gallon kitchen trash can so that we can separate compostables from garbage.  We have designated a small corner of our backyard as our compost pile.  It’s an exciting little experiment that will hopefully yield useable compost for our garden and yard. 

My dream, however, is much, much larger.  It really is just a dream, not a realistic goal, but that’s the magic of dreams – they go beyond the realm of reality.  Our family has several hundred acres of property in the county.  We could start a business called County Compost.  Residents of the county could purchase a composting can similar to their regular municipal garbage can.  We would collect the contents of their compost can once a week.  Residents could also bring compostables to our site.  We would have a HUGE compost pile, or more likely, several different compost piles.  We could hire people recently released from prison to work at County Compost.  People with a criminal record often have a difficult time finding work, but unless they find a job, it is nearly impossible for them to make necessary changes in their lives so they do not continue or repeat criminal acts.  These people could work operating tractors to mix the compost piles, collecting weekly compost cans, and delivering compost to customers.  Residents who have purchased a composting can could come get loads of compost from our site to use in their yards and gardens at a reduced rate. Other customers could purchase compost or have it delivered for an additional fee.    

I have wished for years that I could somehow help provide employment for the hundreds of men I teach in the jails and prisons.  I have also wished for years that I could do something more to help our fragile environment. When I started my own little backyard composting experiment, these wishes grew into a dream.

Who's the Boss?

In a community where there are no recycling facilities, the alternative to composting is sending all waste to the county landfill.  What are the rules at the landfill, and who makes and enforces them?  What about all of the compostable material that regularly shows up at the landfill?

In Juab County, the landfill is regulated by the Juab Rural Development Agency.  This is the agency that applies for and obtains permits from the Utah Department of Environmental Quality.  This agency is headed by the County Administrator, who holds an administrative role in most of the counties interests, including the duties of the elected County Commissioners.  It appears that overseeing the landfill is the main purpose of the Juab Rural Development Agency. 

Keeping the landfill at its current classification in order to avoid higher fees is a goal of the Juab Rural Development Agency.  This has motivated the agency to require residents to separate yard waste from household waste.  Yard waste includes lawn clippings, branches, leaves and other plant life (Dopp).  There is a separate designated area at the dump for yard waste (JRDA Landfill Rules). 

In an effort to keep the overall tonnage at the landfill as low as possible, some communities in the county have designated “Green Dumps” where residents can take their yard waste.  The rules of the Levan Town Green Dump state acceptable items as “grass clippings, weeds, brush, garden vegetation, branches, and weeds” and prohibited items as “animal carcasses, concrete, metal, construction materials/scraps, plastic, bricks, stones, rocks, asphalt, and household waste and garbage including baby diapers, furniture, toys, and food.” The “Green Dump” page on the Levan Town website contains this warning, “If prohibited items continue to be dumped in our Green Dump area, it will end up having to be closed down” (Levan Town). In June of 2009 the Nephi Times News reported that the Mona City Council was discussing the possibility of a “Green Dump” for their town, but determined not to designate an area because of the likelihood that it would just turn into a big garbage dump.  Nephi City closed its “Green Dump” for that exact reason.

City and town governments have experienced difficulty regulating what is dumped in a “Green Dump.”  Juab County would like to keep the landfill at its current classification in order to avoid the higher fees that come with increased tonnage.  A viable option for residents would be to participate in backyard composting, where a large percentage of their household and yard waste could be composted rather than being transported to the landfill. 

Dopp, Rebecca. “JRDA Requests Citizens Separate Residential Garbage from Yard Waste.” Nephi Times News. 17 June 2009.

“JRDA Landfill Policies.” Juab Rural Development Agency. www.co.juab.ut.us/Files/LANDFILLRATES.pdf. Accessed 16 June 2018.

“JRDA Landfill Rules.” Juab Rural Development Agency. www.co.juab.ut.us/Files/LandfillPolicies.pdf. Accessed 16 June 2018.

“Juab Rural Development Agency Solid Waste Facility Factsheet: Landfill” Utah Department of Environmental Quality. Businesses. https://deq.utah.gov/legacy/businesses/j/juab-rural-development-agency/fact-sheet-landfill.htm. Accessed 16 June 2018.

“Levan Town Green Dump” Levan Town, Juab County, Utah. Services. https://levantown.org/green-dump/ Accessed 16 June 2018.

Introducing the Stercorary

The Repository for Dung at Mount Vernon

Photo Credit: Mount Vernon Ladies Association

Folklore is a critical component to the study of any subject of literature, and farm literature is not excluded.  Even in my own minimal efforts at gardening, I have heard a range of informal oral traditions.  Suggestions have included turning ladybugs loose in my garden for good luck, planting corn on the east side of the garden for better pollination, and sprinkling Borax laundry booster around squash plants to ward off damaging insects. 

Finding a piece of folklore specific to composting was more challenging than I expected.  I found a fantastic book written in 1907 by S.W. Fletcher titled “Soils: How to Handle and Improve Them,” but this nearly 450-page informative text, though interesting, is academic in nature, not folkloric.  I watched a persuasive video titled “The Compost Story” at www.kisstheground.com that explains the science of composting and justifies the need for mass participation.  While entertaining and convincing, this piece did not seem to meet any criteria for folklore. 

In an attempt to meet folklore criteria such as oral, informal, and variable, I even called my grandmothers to ask them if they or their parents had any experience with composting when commercial fertilizers were less common.  My Grandma Holyoak explained that they never had need for compost growing up because they used the manure from their cattle to fertilize their fields.  She said that she has occasionally buried potato peels, or mixed grass clippings into her garden spot, but that was it.  It made me giggle to think of my grandma saving and burying only potato peels in her garden spot, but nothing further. 

My search led me to a great article titled “The Green, Brown, and Beautiful Story of Compost” by Aaron Sidder for National Geographic detailing the benefits of composting and tracing some of its historic roots.  This article turned me to a web entry titled “Composting” at www.mountvernon.org.  In describing our nation’s first president, this entry begins by explaining that “Washington spent most of his adult life searching for a fertilizer that would invigorate his lack luster soil at Mount Vernon” (Composting).  Although simply written, this account of the composting done by George Washington at Mount Vernon is interesting and even taught me a new word, which is always cool.  Washington had a stercorary, or dung repository, strategically located near his stables at Mount Vernon where he reportedly instructed all to “rake, and scrape up all the trash, of every sort and kind about the houses…and throw it…into the stercorary” (Sidder).  Since it was built in 1787, it is likely that Washington’s stercorary was the first building in America devoted to composting (Composting). 

Reading this piece of historical interest about composting has deepened my understanding of the topic through an increased understanding that successful composting is the result of a lot of trial and error.  Even George Washington experimented with a variety of different methods and ingredients.  According to the Mount Vernon website, his stercorary was constructed with perches for birds so that their waste would be added to the compost mixture.

   

As the composting experiment moves forward, I’m convinced the folklore associated with the topic will continue to expand as well.

“Composting.” George Washington’s Mount Vernon.  www.mountvernon.org/the-estate-gardens/historic-trades/composting/ Accessed 9 June 2018.

Fletcher, S.W. “Soils: How to Handle and Improve Them” The Farm Library. Doubleday, Page & Co, New York, 1907.

Holyoak, Virginia. Personal Interview. 9 June 2018.

Sidder, Aaron. The Green, Brown, and Beautiful Story of Compost.” National Geographic Magazine, 9 September 2016. www.nationalgeographic.com/people-and-culture/food/the-plate/2016/09/compost--a-history-in-green-and-brown/ Accessed 9 June 2018.

"The Compost Story." Kiss The Ground. www.kisstheground.com. Accessed 9 June 2018.

Who Composts?

Backyard composting can take a lot of different forms.  Among people who compost, there is a wide range of participation and passion.  I don’t personally know anyone who composts, so I turned to cyberspace to meet some people who do.  I came across four interesting individuals who not only compost, but write about their composting experience.  Each of these composter-writers live in a different area, and have a different level of focus, expertise and involvement.  The one thing they have in common is that they all know a lot about composting from their own experience.

Leslie is a Canadian composter who writes about her experience at www.the-compost-gardener.com.  Leslie writes about finding solace in gardening during particularly stressful times in her life, including after she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis which led to the closure of the art school she was running.  As “The Compost Gardener” her involvement and knowledge of composting is significant.  Her website hosts a large amount of information and advertising.  She details not only the how-to, but the why of composting.  Leslie’s posts are written in a personable, accessible yet informational and educated tone. 

Kathryn writes about composting at her website www.goingzerowaste.com.  Kathryn began composting when she moved to California and saw so much trash, litter, and plastic in the ocean.  Her website contains more advertising than information, which makes it somewhat difficult to navigate.  The things she identifies as “compostable” is a slightly more expansive than lists on other composting sites and includes specifics like toilet paper cores, pizza boxes, and even small pieces of cotton and wool.  Composting is just one part of Kathryn’s passion about “going zero waste” some it doesn’t receive as much attention as other parts of her website.

Online, Rod Weston appears to be the expert of all experts when it comes to composting.  His website www.carryoncomposting.com is one of the Top 40 Composting Blogs on the web.  It lists nearly 60 different compost topics on its menu.  Rod speaks at garden clubs and community groups throughout England, and runs a Home Compost Demonstration Site.  It is clear that composting is not simply a hobby for Rod, but something he has devoted his life to.  I get the impression that composting is more common in England than it is in the United States, but regardless of location, this Brit knows all there is to know about composting.

Michelle is a composter in Cincinnatti Ohio.  Her blog, "Confessions of a Composter," is simple and easy to navigate.  She writes specifically to her audience in Hamilton County, but several of her topics are helpful for anyone interested in composting.  She proclaims, “I LOVE composting,” and her passion is evident in her fun, well-written posts.

After meeting several new virtual composting friends, I have learned lots of new things, the foremost being that when it comes to composting I have a lot to learn.

Works Cited:
Balz, Michelle. Ode To A Worm. Confessions of a Composter. 2018. http://confessionsofacomposter.blogspot.com/. Accessed 2 June 2018.

The Compost Gardener. 2009. www.the-compost-gardener.com/about-me.html. Accessed 2 June 2018.

Weston, Rod. Making Compost. Carry On Composting. 2017 www.carryoncomposting.com/142941464. Accessed 2 June 2018.

Your Guide to Backyard Composting. Going Zero Waste. 2016. www.goingzerowaste.com/blog/2015/10/25/backyardcomposting.  Accessed 2 June 2018.

Composting Gets Visual

Zero-Waste Composting
Eureka! Recycling encourages Minnesota residents to "make dirt not waste."

Eureka! Recycling is a non-profit organization based in Minneapolis Minnesota.  According to their website, www.makedirtnotwaste.org, they have been providing curbside, education, and advocacy services in the Twin Cities area since 2001.  I found this poster on their website alongside the announcement of a Zero-Waste Composting Report which was released in May of 2013.  How might this poster look under rhetorical analysis?

This poster utilizes spatial distribution to communicate a three-part message.  The top third of the space is uncluttered and open.  The white cloud against the blue sky with a yellow kite floating by capitalize on the environmental ideals of clean air and open spaces.  The Eureka! Recycling logo appears in a prominent place in the upper-right corner on the diagonal as to be noticed but not overly dominant.  The white text on the royal background both look and serve as a branding tag. 

The portion occupying the center of the poster uses all caps text in a black hash-shaded bubble font giving the words an animated feel.  Creatively, the word “dirt” is used in quotation marks exploiting the idiom used to communicate the obtaining of information about something or someone.  The words “zero-waste composting” are the largest items on the entire poster, and were the first place I found myself looking.  They command attention because of their size and placement.  It is clear that this message is intended to be the main point.   

The bottom third of the poster uses simple sketch drawings as a foundation or fertile ground for the entire message.  The spring green color is reminiscent of growth.  The few garden tools illustrated communicate ease, thrift, and simplicity.  The shovel is placed in a large pile of dark colored soil, and the pitchfork is leaning against a compost bin indicating a partnership or relationship between the work required and the benefits obtained.  Most prominent in this section are the many plants in all stages of growth.  Unlike the top third of the poster, this section is cluttered and busy.  It is an indication of fertility and abundance. 

The blue and green color scheme appropriately mirror the colors of the Earth herself.  The images, text, and even the suggestion being made by the meaning of the words are all inviting without being overwhelming.  The message is communicated without uncomfortable pressure or judgement, but with casual persuasion. 

Through the use of creative design and word choice the audience is implicitly made aware of the desired outcomes of composting, which in this case are dirt and zero-waste.  Eureka! Recycling is successful in communicating these messages in an accessible, playful, visual format. 

"Zero-Waste Composting." Eureka! Recycling, 18 May 2013, http://makedirtnotwaste.org/why-compost/zero-waste-composting. Accessed 26 May 2018.

Composting for Beginners: History & Basics

I have a big family.  My husband and I have five children.  We are relatively health conscious, so we consume a lot of fresh produce.  Not only that, we raise our own animals.  We have cows, dogs, chickens, horses, sheep, a rabbit, the works.  It goes without saying that we produce a lot of waste.  I have heard about composting, but I want to learn more.  How did this whole composting thing get started? What exactly is backyard composting? Why do people do it? How do I get started?

I learned from the Environmental Protection Agency’s website, www.epa.gov, that food scraps and yard waste make up between 20 and 30 percent of what American’s throw away.  That seems like a lot, and seems like an accurate estimate for my family.  The EPA explains that “making compost keeps these materials out of landfills where they take up space and release methane, a potent greenhouse gas.” If my family can utilize our waste to create something that we can benefit from rather than harming the environment, I want to learn more.

On the surface it seems like backyard composting is at worst a strange practice for a cult-like few and at best a fleeting fad.  What is the real backstory? Well, according to the University of Illinois Extension, composting has basically been around forever.  There is evidence of composting in Ancient Greece, Rome, Mesopotamia, and Arabia.  Ancient civilizations in North America also utilized composting, and even the farmers of New England would mix fish and muck in compost piles.  In the early 20^th century with the development of chemical fertilizers, agriculture increasingly turned to chemicals over compost.  With the publication of An Agriculture Testament in 1943 by British Agronomist Sir Albert Howard, interest in organic methods and benefits of compost were renewed.  These methods are becoming increasingly popular today.

According to the EPA’s explanation Composting at Home, all composting requires three basic ingredients: browns, such as twigs and dead leaves, greens, like fruit and vegetable scraps, and water.  These three ingredients are layered with the browns providing the carbon, the greens providing the nitrogen, and the water providing the moisture.  Sounds interesting, but what are the benefits?  For me personally, one of the coolest things is that compost reduces the need for the use of chemical fertilizers.  It also suppresses plant disease and pests, and reduces what goes into the landfill. 

The steps under How to Compost At Home on the EPA’s website make it sound pretty simple.  The five bullet points include selecting a dry, shady location near a water source, layering browns and greens making sure that larger pieces are chopped up, adding water as you go, mixing grass clippings and making sure fruit and vegetable waste is buried at least 10 inches, and then adding a tarp on top to keep the pile moist if you want.  The conclusion is that, “When the material at the bottom is dark and rich in color, your compost is ready to use. This usually takes anywhere between two months to two years.”

Learning about the history, benefits, and components of backyard composting makes me eager to get started.  If I can help my family utilize our waste for our own benefit as well as the benefit of the environment, I think it is worth the effort.

Works Cited:

Friend, Duane and Smith, Martha A. Composting for the Homeowner: History of Composting. University of Illinois Extension, pars. 1-5, https://web.extension.illinois.edu/homecompost/history.cfm. Accessed 19 May 2018.

Composting at Home. United States Environmental Protection Agency, pars. 1-4, www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home. Accessed 19 May 2018.

Let's Get Started!

I'm not a composter, but I'm about to become one.  I am a mother of 5 children in Central Utah where recycling facilities are non-existent.  We raise cows, chickens, horses, dogs, sheep and an occasional pig or rabbit.  We eat fresh produce every single day.  We produce a lot of organic waste at this house!  I'm excited to learn about backyard composting, and post about my experiment as I go.