Composting Co-Op Basic Info

Mark your calendars, folks, the day has come!

I'll be distributing buckets and instruction sheets on Monday, JANUARY 9, 2012!

I've been brainstorming Fourth World Composting Co-Op for a long time, and now it's coming to fruition. I'm currently soliciting members. If you live in Douglas you should join! Here's my solicitation postcard--feel free to pass it on!

Hello Neighbor!

This is a message from Forth World Composting, a new FREE composting service in North Douglas. I distribute buckets to neighbors, they fill them up with food scraps, then I collect the buckets and compost the material! Easy for you, good for the landfill, and garden compost for me! If you are interested in joining please contact me and I will add you to my rounds. Remember, this service is FREE--you just need to sign up!  Help a neighbor grow a garden and reduce your trash at the same time!

I hope to hear from you soon,

Lisa Daugherty                

Contact: 789-1283 or lisamaybehere@yahoo.com
Fourth World Farm

Here is all you need to know about the program:

I will collect your bucket every Monday and leave an empty one in its place. Leave it at your front door or at the end of the driveway.--wherever I will see it is fine! If you find you have more scraps than a bucketful let me know so I can give you two buckets a week.  If you have leaves or grass clippings from your pesticide-free yard bag ‘em up and leave them with your bucket.

Simple Dos and Dont’s

What to put in:
Moldy food
Egg shells
Fruits and vegetables
Breads and grains
(raw or cooked, it all goes in)
Coffee grounds & filters, tea bags
House plant leaves
Garden waste
Small pieces of paper (not glossy)
Finger nail clippings & hair
Used tissue
Dust pan sweepings (plastic free)    

What NOT to put in:
Meat scraps/bones

cooking oil (trace amounts ok)
Fruit/vegetable stickers (trust me, they don't break down)
Plastic
Metal
Glass
Anything that’s toxic

The list looks long, but it's really straightforward and simple!

Call 789-1283 or email lisamaybehere@yahoo.com with questions or concerns.    

Thanks for reducing your landfill usage!

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I'm doing this as my Master Gardener's Volunteer Project. Actually, I was going to do this before I took the class, so the MGVP is just my excuse.  To give you an idea of where I'm trying to go with this, here's a copy of my project proposal:

Project Name: Fourth World Composting Co-op

Intended Recipients: Residents of North Douglas at first, then the whole community. The members who sign up for my composting  co-op will benefit by having their garbage reduced and turned into fertilizer. The community will benefit by saving landfill space for things that are actually garbage. Once my co-op is running smoothly I will put together a written (and perhaps video) guide for other people to set up their own composting co-ops.

Purpose of Project: To reduce the waste of Juneau and get luscious compost in return!

Intended Outcomes: I hope that this project will get people thinking about their waste and ways to reduce or eliminate it. I also hope that people who have the space for it will use my model to start their own co-ops. It would be wonderful if they city got on board and  made a commercial facility. Lastly, I hope I’ll have lots of great compost so I can expand my garden into a co-op in itself!

Participating Master Gardeners: Lisa Daugherty

Time Frame: 
Start Date: I’m going to start soliciting members right now. The actual composting will start January 9, 2012.

Interval and time of Service:  I’ll pick buckets up once a week

Completion Date: Hopefully there isn’t one! If it works, it works! I’ll put the outreach guide together after a full year (all the seasons!) of running the co-op.

The Process:

Pre-planning:
Put together Directions Sheet for members
    Participant Parameters: Food scraps only. No meat or bones. Can also offer leaf and grass clipping collection from pesticide-free yards if bagged or toted up.
Put together postcards to solicit members
Make a database of members including name, email, phone number, address
Acquire buckets @ Costco and print basic instructions on lids
Distribute buckets and Directions Sheet.

Ongoing:
Collect buckets on Mondays (N Douglas trash day), compost material, clean buckets, and return

Collect cover materials (seaweed, leaves, rotted bark--in addition to manure/straw from my barn.) as needed
Build new compost bins as needed

Concluding:
Put together a written guide on setting up and running a composting co-op.  Possibly a Power Point or you-tube video. Have my co-op available as a model for others to visit. 

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There it is! If you want to join, email me your name, address, and phone #. If you know someone on Douglas who might be interested, by all means, pass this on!