BAI VIRBAIJI SOPARIVALA PARSI HIGH SCHOOL

Connecting Classroom Online Green Schools Project

Reduce , Reuse and Recycle

Reduce Organic Waste Reduce Organic Waste

Most originate from household waste can also contain significant proportions of organic waste e.g. market waste

Organic waste is a major component of municipal solid waste.

Reuse Plants PartsReuse Plants Parts

Recycle Organic MaterialsRecycle Organic MaterialsCompost can be used as a soil amendment and as a mulch

CompostingCompostingA composting system confines the organic material and often controls the conditions in thematerial so that the breakdown is accelerated. A compostingsystem can be started in old garbagebins, wooden boxes, or in a simple heap.

Compost Heap In SchoolCompost Heap In School

CompostingComposting organisms require four equally important components to work effectively:

Nitrogen Green IngredientsNitrogen Green IngredientsNitrogen (Green

ingredients): supply your pile with nitrogen which grow and reproduce organisms to oxidise the carbon.  These additions are often green and wet: kitchen scraps, fresh lawn clippings, weeds pulled from your garden.  Every pile needs the green ingredients, but if all you have is green stuff, your pile can turn stinky and mucky.  Too much green stuff can lead to a rotting pile instead of a composting pile.

Carbon Brown IngredientsCarbon Brown IngredientsCarbon: (Brown ingredients): supply your pile with carbon for energy (heat).  These items are often brown and drier--fall leaves, branches, hedge clippings, straw, etc.  The carbon is very necessary but again, too much has its consequences.  If you have a pile with mostly prunings from your hedge and other woody stuff, the pile can take years to break down.  It can sit there and linger in your back yard and you may begin to make plans to will your compost to your grandchildren.

Oxygen and WaterOxygen and Water

Water consistently to keep compost uniformly moist but not wet.

Use an aeration tool to reach into the compost to lift and move plant materials.Turn the entire mass occasionally to provide uniform aeration.

Creating Great Compost

Four Step Guide to Creating Great Compost

1. Choose a Site: Place your compostheap or bin in a welldrained area that hassome shade. Too muchsun will dry out yourcompost.

2. What To Compost

3. Layering Start with a thick layer of coarse material

(~15cm), such as twigs or mulch, this is used for drainage. Then follow with a layered A,B,C system using the materials above A. Garden clippings and kitchen scraps, B. Dry leaves and paper (wet). C. Add water after each layer to keep the heap moist but not wet. Then repeat steps ABC. Finish with step D. Sprinkling soil or finished compost on top of food scraps will make a richer compost and help reduce odours.

4. Maintaining Your Compost: Keep your compost well aerated to

prevent foul odour or methane. Turn your compost with a garden fork on a weekly basis. Otherwise place garden stakes or pipes through the heap to allow air in.

Depending on the mix of ingredients the duration for the compost to turn into a rich soil can be anything from 6 weeks to 6 months.

UsesCompost is generally recommended as an Compost is generally recommended as an

additive to soil, or other matrices such as additive to soil, or other matrices such as coir and peat, as a tilt improver, coir and peat, as a tilt improver, supplying humus and nutrients. It supplying humus and nutrients. It provides a rich provides a rich growing mediumgrowing medium, or a , or a porous, absorbent material that holds porous, absorbent material that holds moisture and soluble minerals, providing moisture and soluble minerals, providing the support and nutrients in which plants the support and nutrients in which plants can flourish, although it is rarely used can flourish, although it is rarely used alone, being primarily mixed with soil, alone, being primarily mixed with soil, sand, grit, bark chips, vermiculite, sand, grit, bark chips, vermiculite, prelate, or clay granules to produce loam.prelate, or clay granules to produce loam.

Uses Uses

Generally, direct seeding into a compost Generally, direct seeding into a compost is not recommended due to the speed is not recommended due to the speed with which it may dry and the possible with which it may dry and the possible presence of phyto toxins which may presence of phyto toxins which may inhibit germination, and the possible tie inhibit germination, and the possible tie up of nitrogen by incompletely up of nitrogen by incompletely decomposed lignin. It is very common to decomposed lignin. It is very common to see blends of 20–30% compost used for see blends of 20–30% compost used for transplanting seedlings at cotyledon transplanting seedlings at cotyledon stage or later.stage or later.

Interesting FactsAbout half of what we throw into the garbage bin

is food and garden vegetation.Compost bins and worm farms are available from

some local councils. Anything that’s sharp or thorny should also be left

out, because although the compost heap will destroy the thorns, you’re likely to scratch yourself later on, risking a trip for a tetanus injection.

Did you know that increasingly more and more local councils are introducing organic recycling services to reduce the amount of organic waste going to landfill. Check whether your local council have a scheme and if they don’t ask them to introduce one.