Setting up a composting system - 2023 06 08

 

Adele waits patiently in her crate while the caregiver gives Mom her morning personal care.

Now that I am committed to setting up a comprehensive in-home composting system, I am thinking more deeply about the flow of organic waste throughout our household.

  1. Yard waste - leaves, weeds, grass clippings
  2. Kitchen waste
    1. Non-dairy, non-meat food waste
    2. Dairy, meat food waste
  3. Worm farming - feeding the worms yard and kitchen waste
  4. Pet waste - composting dog waste
The heat is hitting us this week and with it comes the reminder that the dog waste waiting for collection from the City is also sitting and heating up.

I am thinking about how to process the waste that cannot go into the yard waste, non-dairy/non-meat kitchen waste and worm farm. This is another stream for composting that will be suitable for fertilizing ornamental plants, not for the food garden. What I am going to do is set up a compost for pet waste, meat and dairy waste. This compost is going to be critter proof and specifically designed to break down quickly with minimal odour. 

Compostable dog poop bags have been ordered.

I am going to apply the principles for composting dog waste to include meat and dairy waste because all of these forms of waste require the same controls: rodent proof, isolated from food gardening, fast breakdown.

So what are the guidelines for safely composting dog waste? 

Use a separate dedicated composter
Use a high temperature composting method
Add a source of carbon to improve decomposition
Do not use the compost on crop plants

There is a 55 gallon plastic bin with a fitted lid I am going to modify by cutting out the bottom. It will be set into a fitted hole in the yard.


When the bin has reached capacity - let's say 12" full for this first try - the bin is pulled out and the composting pile is covered with the soil from digging the hole. A new hole is dug and the bin is moved to the new hole to start a new collection cycle. The freshly dug soil for the bin can be used to line the bottom of the bin above ground to increase insulation value.

We'll see how the breakdown progresses, I will add some sort of acceleration if it looks like it is taking too long. By the time three bins have been cycled, there will be a nice sized bed to plant ornamentals.

This method will allow me to process the waste this household is producing without any trouble. At most we will have two dogs, right now we only have one. We don't eat a lot of meat, at most it will be the remains of a chicken carcass - taking care to make sure it is thoroughly broken down before the bin is lifted to a new location.



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