Unfortunately, my life is much more hectic now that my son is out of school for the summer, the garden is booming, fishing is underway, and craft fairs are in full swing. At this time I simply don't have the time to pick up buckets and clean them. The residential aspect of the co-op is now suspended. I will still continue composting for 4 Juneau businesses, as they require little time and provide lots of composting material. I'm am truly bummed to end my Monday composting run, but that's what my family needs for now.
So that brings my experiment of six full months of composting for 20 families to a close. I spent 75+ hours on the project and have accumulated a lot of important data and experience. Here are the final numbers for the residential component:
486 buckets collected and hauled2644 pounds of kitchen scraps
1002 pounds of yard debris
1076 gallons of material
The material is breaking down quickly with the first cubic yard done, the second cooling, and the first one hot. I'll be able to make many, many new fertile raised beds this fall.
A big thank-you to all members for doing your part to reduce your landfill usage. Please continue to do so by forming your own compost pile or getting a worm bin, and also tell the city you think they should compost! If any of you would like help setting up your own composting system, however big or small, please let me know. I'm more than happy to help anyone get started with composting and can provide support along the way. It really is easy, can be done on any scale, and works in just about any space. I hope that after six months of composting you all cringe at the idea of throwing your food in the landfill and take the composting plunge for yourselves. My goal is to open a composting business in the near future. I've seen that it's possible to compost on a large scale in this town--now I have to convince the city of that!
Composting is an amazing process that turns would-be garbage into a fertile medium for gardening. It's easy since it's a natural process that happens on it's own. This place can grow tons of food if you provide the soil. Compost makes things taste good, and it shows your compassion for Lemon Creek and the Earth! Happy composting!
