1. Master Composter
Class 2: July 22, 2015

2. Agenda
• Compost Operations: Small-large
• Compost methods: Hot vs. cold
• Compost structures

3. Scale of Composting
Operations

4. Compost Operations
• Large Scale
• Non-profit
• Small start-up
• Commercial
• Small scale
• Backyard
• Schools
• Apartments
• Corporate
companies

5. Compost Operations Small-scale
Benefits of small-scale composting
• Food scraps, food soiled paper products, tree and
grass clippings, brush, etc. all compromise over 60%
of our waste stream.
• Collecting these recyclables at home or for diversion
to a municipal composting program, conserves
energy and natural resources, saves landfill space and
reduces air and water pollution.
• Bigger picture – taking ecologically sound
responsibility

6. Compost Operations Small-scale
Schools, facilities, prisons, corporate
• Mid-sized compost systems — with capacity
ranging from approximately 5,000 to 10,000
lbs/day of food scraps —are appropriate for
small institutions including schools,
hospitals, nursing homes and commercial
establishments.
• Diversion – Zero Wasteline stream
incorporated into wasteline stream
• EcoSafe Zero Waste Solutions

7. Compost Operations Large-scale
Benefits of large-scale
• Municipal officials have realized that
composting is an effective strategy for
managing waste (up to 70 percent may be
organic)
• States have banned certain organic materials
such as cardboard and yard waste from
landfills
• Backyard composting has been readily
accepted
• Composting has been heavily promoted in the
agricultural sector
• More markets for compost have opened up

8. Compost Operations Large-scale
Static Piles
Pros:
• Low management
• Simple and inexpensive
Cons:
• Overheat – spontaneous combustion
• Anaerobic – release odors
• Takes up space – aesthetics
• Longer to decompose

9. Compost Operations Large-scale
Aerated (turned) Windrow Composting
Pros:
• Most common for rapid composting of
yard wastes
• Use of front end loader or Scarab turner
Cons:
• Labor intensive
• Daily on-site activity

10. Compost Operations Large-scale
Aerated Static Pile Composting (ASP)
• Used by facilities that manage large volumes of livestock
manure, yard debris, food scrap waste and other challenging
feedstock materials
• Forced aeration composting systems for carefully constructed
and blended piles of organic residuals
• They provide adequate oxygen and control of pile temperature
by adjusting the amount and direction of airflow

11. Compost Operations Large-scale

12. Compost Operations Large-scale
Aerated Static Pile Composting (ASP)
Pros:
• Getting started quickly at minimal expense
• Defining the actual volume of materials that need
to be composted on a monthly or annual basis
• Simplest and least cost approach to composting
large volumes of organic waste materials
Cons:
• Media dries as energy is released as water vapor
• Compost process slows as moisture is lost
• Settling can reduce pile porosity and limit airflow
• Surface precipitation can create veins of saturation
• Odors can develop in saturated areas

13. Compost Operations Large-scale
Reverse AeratedWindrow

14. Compost Operations Large-scale
In-VesselComposting (IVC)
• IVC is like a home compost bin on a massive scale
Pros:
• Reduces waste and carbon emissions
• Minimizes the use of commercial peat-based compost, the
extraction of which is detrimental to the environment
• Produces an affordable soil conditioner, from an otherwise
waste material
• Reduces the volume of waste to landfill, saving millions of
pounds in potential landfill tax.
• Material can be composted on a commercial scale and in
one go
• A dry process – less liquid to leach out
• Highly automated – facility can operate continuously and
with minimal staff
• Minimizes the risk of cross-contamination
• Natural process with little input or disturbance - reduces
costs and odors

16. Compost Operations Large-scale
The five key stages of IVC, all of which occur in an enclosed building:
1. Pre-preparation - on arrival, the waste is inspected and the materials that
cannot be composted are removed.
2. Shredding - the material to be composted is then shredded in a bio-chopper
to prepare it for processing.
3. Composting - the shredded waste is placed in large vessels known as silos,
where temperature and oxygen levels are carefully monitored to provide a
perfect environment for micro-organisms to thrive.
4. Maturation - the composted material is left to mature for a period of
between two and three weeks to make it suitable for use.
5. Screening and storage - following maturation, the product is checked to
ensure it is of a high-quality, ready for dispatch.

18. Compost Methods

19. Composting Methods
General Rules
• C:N = 30:1
• Oxygen and water
important
• No meats, dairy
• Piles need to be 3’x3’x3’ in
order to heat up to a
healthy temp

20. Composting Methods Outside
Hot
• California Method
• City People’s Method
• CompostTumblers
• Raised Bins
• Movable Compost
• Moulded Bins
• Stacking Composters
• Windrow and Piles
• Biodynamic Composting
Cold
• Indore Method
• Pit Composting
• Mulch and Sheet Composting
• Trench and Posthole
Composting
• Anaerobic Composting
• Leaf Mould Composting
• Green Cone Composting
• Black Bag Composting
• Hugelkulture Composting
• Green Cone Composting

21. Composting Methods Outside
Warm Composting
California Method
• Developed at the University
of California in the 1950’s
• One of the best rapid-return
methods
• Works in batches
• Requires a structure
1. Build the structure at least 3’ x 3’ and
4’-6’ tall
2. Have all of your raw ingredients
available
3. Materials should be less than 6-8”
4. Layer alternating browns and greens,
2-4” thick
5. Turn the pile so that the layers
remain distinct
6. Turn on day 3, day 6, and day
9…should be ready by day 12!

22. Composting Methods Outside
Warm/cold Composting
Indore Method
• Developed by Sir Albert
Howard in India
• Mostly cold process
• Works in batches
• No structure required
1. Start with a base of coarse brush at
least 7’ x 7’
2. Add a 6” layer of green vegetable
scraps
3. Add a 2” layer of manure
4. Sprinkle soil
5. Repeat layering until 5’ tall
6. Turn every 6 weeks until harvest in
about 4-5 months

23. Composting Methods Outside
Warm/cold Composting
Biodynamic Method
• Developed by Rudolf Steiner
• Very similar in structure to Indore method
• Employs arguably mystic methodology
• Works in batches
• Does not require a structure
• Requires “preparations”
• Preparations are made by burying specific
medicinal herbs at certain depths in
contact with certain animal organs
1. Replicate Indore method
2. Mix in a small amount of the
preparations
3. Turn the pile in 3-5 months

24. Composting Methods Outside

25. Composting Methods Outside
Warm Composting
The City People’s Method
• Developed by Helga and Bill
Olkoowski for city-friendly,
odorless composting
• 3-bin system
1. Start with bottom layer of sawdust
2. Alternate green and brown layers
above
3. Sprinkle nitrogen source over each
layer (urine, blood/alfalfa meal, etc.)
4. Turn the pile over into the next bin
every 3 days
5. Harvest in about 2 weeks

26. Composting Methods Outside
Warm Composting
CompostTumblers
• Above-ground, flipping
compost barrel
Pros
Easy turning
No vermin
Little odor
Holds in heat,
moisture
Cons
Expensive
Requires
inoculants
Makes in batches

27. Composting Methods Outside
Warm Composting
Raised Bin Method
• Slightly raised bin with air
slits at the bottom
• Allows for natural air flow
through pile
• No turning required

28. Composting Methods Outside
Cold Composting
Posthole Composting
• Bury food and yard waste in
holes around the yard
• Good for eliminating food
waste, not so good as a soil
amendment

29. Composting Methods Outside
Cold Composting
Hugelkulture
• Permaculture-style method
of permanent soil amending
• Increases water retention
• Very long-term benefits
1. Bury a trench about 2’ deep
2. Line the trench with compost
3. Fill with logs and branches
4. Layer with blood, alfalfa, or bone meal
5. Cover with fresh grass clippings
6. Cover with topsoil
7. Layer with smaller branches and mulch
8. Cover with hay, then topsoil

30. Composting Methods Outside
Cold Composting
Anaerobic Composting
• Layered method (similar to
Indore Method), but
covered with air-tight
polyethylene wrapping
• Reduces Nitrogen gas-off
• Takes longer

31. Composting Methods Outside
Tea Fertilizers
• Bacteria-dominant tea:
• Molasses
• Cane sugar
• Fungal-dominant tea:
• Kelp
• Phosphate rock dust
• Fish hydrolysate
• Fruit pulp
CompostTea
• Soaking compost in water to
extract nutrients and microbes
• Compost’s “active ingredients” fill
the volume of the container
• Aerated (ACT) or Non-aerated
teas (NCT)
• Drench- or foliar application
• General rules:
• 24 hours to brew
• Expires within another 24
hours
• Need to fertilize to feed
microbes

32. Composting Methods Indoor
Vermicomposting
• Use of worms to digest food scraps
and produce high quality fertilizer
• Red wigglers are best (Eisenia fetida)
• Bedding important
• Shredded paper
• Coconut coir
• Michigan Black Peat
• Composted manure
• Food cannot be too acidic
• Cover worms to prevent escape
• Keep moist, but not soggy
• Many bin types available

33. Composting Methods Indoor
Bokashi Bin
• Anaerobic breakdown of food waste in sealed tub
• Requires bran (dry mix of bran, molasses, and
microorganisms)
• Can compost all food scraps
• Ready for next stage in about 2 weeks
• Dump contents into compost pile or bury in soil
(need to wait 6 weeks before planting)

34. Composting Methods Custom Compost
Custom Compost
• Special additives can help make your compost
healthier, richer, and more tailored to your plants
• Nitrogen retention
• Rock Phosphate
• Higher temps, faster decomp.
• Blood/bone meal, alfalfa pellets
• Bacterial-dominance
• Molasses, maple syrup
• Fungal-dominance
• Soybean meal, powdered malt, oatmeal, oat
bran, powdered baby oatmeal

35. Neil Kaufman
Email: Neil.Kaufman1@gmail.com
Phone: (210)995-8483
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