15 December 2009

High Tech Composting

Findlay Market just installed these large composting bins. This is some major composting equipment. There is a sign on the side warning people not to stick their arms into the bin as the mixer may chop it off:
 


UPDATE FROM FINDLAY MKT NEWSLETTER:
Findlay Market Begins Composting Food Waste
To help cut the amount of waste it sends to the landfill by half, Findlay Market has begun composting food waste. The market is using a small “in-vessel” system that contains the compost in an insulated tub that has an air filtration system to control odors. The contents are stirred regularly by turning the lid of the tub, under which an electrically powered auger is mounted. This is the first composting system of its kind in southwest Ohio. The market has two tubs and hopes to be able to compost continuously. Eventually, shredded cardboard that cannot be recycled will be used as a bulking agent for making compost. The finished compost will be used on trees and flowers around the market. A waste stream audit conducted in 2008 suggested that the market produces more than 300 tons of compostable waste annually which, in theory, could produce about forty tons of finished compost each year. Findlay Market’s in-vessel composting equipment was purchased with grant funding from the Hamilton County Solid Waste Management District and from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farmers Market Promotional Program. For more information about the Findlay Market food waste composting program, contact info@findlaymarket.org.

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