Nursery Compost System
Technical Pilot
Project Description
The Marrickville Community Nursery is an initiative of the Inner West Council in Sydney. The nursery propagates native plants of local progeny to ensure a constant supply for local parks and reserves.
The nursery produces a regular load of green waste consisting of weeds, prunings, fallen leaves and branches, and spent potting mix. This continuous stream of largely nitrogen-rich greens is often fibrous and stringy, which is problematic for small-scale composting operations.
In order to avoid sending organic waste off-site, we installed a three-bay compost system. The volume of each bay of roughly one cubic meter allows for enough mass to build up the temperatures required for efficient composting, i.e. between 55 and 75 degrees celsius. We introduced untreated wood shavings from a local timber recycler, providing a light carbon-rich additive for the particularly green loads. As an extra nitrogen-rich kickstarter we also receive spent coffee grounds from a neighbouring cafe.
The three-bay system is now able to process one cubic meter of organic waste in one to two months, where the previously used bins were unable to break down the stringy loads. The finished compost is relatively light and mild, given there is no food waste being processed. It works well for addressing soil compaction on the grounds where the nursery is located, allowing for a closed-loop system without vehicular transport. We are also testing the compost for phosphorous levels to assess feasibility of use in native plantings.
Nursery Compost System
Technical Pilot
Project Description
The Marrickville Community Nursery is an initiative of the Inner West Council in Sydney. The nursery propagates native plants of local progeny to ensure a constant supply for local parks and reserves.
The nursery produces a regular load of green waste consisting of weeds, prunings, fallen leaves and branches, and spent potting mix. This continuous stream of largely nitrogen-rich greens is often fibrous and stringy, which is problematic for small-scale composting operations.
In order to avoid sending organic waste off-site, we installed a three-bay compost system. The volume of each bay of roughly one cubic meter allows for enough mass to build up the temperatures required for efficient composting, i.e. between 55 and 75 degrees celsius. We introduced untreated wood shavings from a local timber recycler, providing a light carbon-rich additive for the particularly green loads. As an extra nitrogen-rich kickstarter we also receive spent coffee grounds from a neighbouring cafe.
The three-bay system is now able to process one cubic meter of organic waste in one to two months, where the previously used bins were unable to break down the stringy loads. The finished compost is relatively light and mild, given there is no food waste being processed. It works well for addressing soil compaction on the grounds where the nursery is located, allowing for a closed-loop system without vehicular transport. We are also testing the compost for phosphorous levels to assess feasibility of use in native plantings.
Nursery Compost System
Technical Pilot
Project Description
The Marrickville Community Nursery is an initiative of the Inner West Council in Sydney. The nursery propagates native plants of local progeny to ensure a constant supply for local parks and reserves.
The nursery produces a regular load of green waste consisting of weeds, prunings, fallen leaves and branches, and spent potting mix. This continuous stream of largely nitrogen-rich greens is often fibrous and stringy, which is problematic for small-scale composting operations.
In order to avoid sending organic waste off-site, we installed a three-bay compost system. The volume of each bay of roughly one cubic meter allows for enough mass to build up the temperatures required for efficient composting, i.e. between 55 and 75 degrees celsius. We introduced untreated wood shavings from a local timber recycler, providing a light carbon-rich additive for the particularly green loads. As an extra nitrogen-rich kickstarter we also receive spent coffee grounds from a neighbouring cafe.
The three-bay system is now able to process one cubic meter of organic waste in one to two months, where the previously used bins were unable to break down the stringy loads. The finished compost is relatively light and mild, given there is no food waste being processed. It works well for addressing soil compaction on the grounds where the nursery is located, allowing for a closed-loop system without vehicular transport. We are also testing the compost for phosphorous levels to assess feasibility of use in native plantings.
Top Community Composter Shuts Operations
Top Community Composter Shuts Operations
Top Community Composter Shuts Operations
June 5, 2024
Reduced-Workload Community Composting
Reduced-Workload Community Composting
Reduced-Workload Community Composting
May 6, 2024
Composting and me
Composting and me
Composting and me
January 3, 2024