How to Make “Black Gold”

A Home Composting Workshop was held in the Mayer room at the Howe Library on September 19th. It featured Cat Buxton who runs the “Grow More Waste Less Organization” (website: https://www.growmorewasteless.com/) and was sponsored by the Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission (UVLSRPC) and hosted by Sustainable Hanover. Cat is an educator, community organizer and advocate for changes in the food system from food  production to waste disposal. 

There were lots of good questions by the audience and all were answered well. The information she provided was useful both to compost beginners and to those who have been composting for years. She talked about the many aspects of home composting, from the best ways to construct an outdoor compost pile to what 

home composting worms, known as Red Wigglers, can do in indoor composting termed vermiculture. Cat provided lots of good tips including choosing the best place for composting such as accessibility to the garden and kitchen, safety for pets and wildlife, and keeping odors down. She even taught the group some chemistry about methane production by food waste, the importance of carbon-to-nitrogen ratios in food scraps, whether aerobic or anaerobic microbes work well, and how the balance of air and water is important. She also discussed using compost thermometers, moisture tests and turning the compost to maintain good airflow. In the end she discussed the various types of composting bins from countertop to outdoor tumblers and their benefits. This was very helpful for attendees choosing a free composting bin to take home. Bins were provided by a USDA grant to the UVLSRPC.  

Learning how to compost effectively and well is important but for those that don’t have outdoor composting or indoor vermiculture there are a few other ways for Hanover residents to compost their food scraps.  One option is at the Lebanon Landfill where the food scraps are put in a dumpster and the decomposed waste is then used onsite for erosion control. It is free but you need to obtain a Solid Waste Permit from the Town of Lebanon to use the facility. Another option is to use Nordic Waste Services, LLC for weekly curbside pick-up for $30.00 per month which is a 5-gallon bucket that is exchanged for a clean bucket and liner each week. Or for $25 per month, you could take your own 5-gallon bucket to the Hanover, Lebanon or White River Junction Food Coops each week in exchange for a clean bucket and liner.

Editor’s Note: 

Ban going into effect next year aims to cut food waste, greenhouse gas emissions

See New Hampshire Bulletin:(newhampshirebulletin.com/category/energy-environment/)

“The Department of Environmental Services is ramping up to implement the law that, starting in February, will prohibit “any person” generating one ton or more of food waste per week to dispose of that waste in a landfill or incinerate it. There are exemptions if the person is further than 20 miles from an alternative facility or if there isn’t ample capacity at the facility to accept the waste.”