This document evaluates the efficiency and sustainability of a deep litter (dry litter) system compared to a wash-down system in managing pig waste in piggeries. The research concludes that the deep litter system requires less time and labor, reduces water usage, and produces quality compost, leading to healthier animals and a cleaner environment. Additionally, various composting methods, including vermicomposting and trench composting, are discussed as sustainable practices for waste management.

1. Team Compost:Sustainabilityfoundwithincomposting
Team Compost
Catherine Becker, Ph.D
Spring 2015
May 6, 2015
Sustainabilityfoundwithincomposting.A classpaperforCommunicationCourse 344.Writersinclude:
Jacob Fano,James Haruguchi,andMelanie Morelos.
DeepLitter Composting
Abstract
The purpose of thisresearchis to evaluate andcompare the time investedandworkeffortexertedbya
single farmerorby an individual whenmanagingadeeplitter(drylitter) versusawash downsystem.
Also,the goal of thisresearchis to determinewhetherornotthe deeplittersystemisefficientand
sustainable comparedtothatof the wash downsystem. Withthe six weeksgiventocomplete this
researchand workingatthe Leota residence PiggeryUnit,ithasbeendeterminedthatthe deeplitter
systemwill require lesstimeandlessworkeffortwhenoperatingapiggery. Of the twelve pensinthe
piggery,thisresearchrequiresonlythe use of five pens. These five pensare alsothe onlypensthatuse
and operate underthe deeplittermethod.
Introduction
Deeplitter,betterknownasdrylitter,isamethodof waste managementinananimal housing
systemwhichrequiresthe repeatedspreadingof straw or sawdustmaterial inindoorbooths.Aninitial
layerof litterisspreadfor the animalstouse for beddingmaterial andtodefecate in,andasthe litteris
soiled,newlayersof litterare continuouslyaddedbythe farmer(Javitz,2004). Beddingmaterial serves
a numberof importantfunctions;itabsorbsexcessmoisturefromthe animal waste while promoting
drynesswithinthe animal penorhouse. Also,the beddingmaterial actsasinsulationtokeepthe animal
warm fromthe cold cementorwoodfloorand withthe fecal material itisdilutedthusreducingthe
contact betweenthe animal andthe manure (Ritz,Fairchild,&Lacy,2010).
Thismethodor technique wasfirstinstigatedinOhioduringthe 1940’s mainlyforthe
managementorusage inpoultry.Also,drylitterisa carbon-basedlitterwhichuseswoodchips,wood
shavings,orgrass to absorbthe nitrogeninthe manure or animal waste (Mormino,2013). The deep
littersystemwasfirstusedinthe developmentorthe managementof poultry. Toreduce poultry
diseasesandthe workeffortsorlaborput in,farmersusedthissystemandsaw it as a sustainable
methodof managingchickenlitterinthe coop.
Because of itssimplicityandsustainabilityseeninpoultryuse,the deeplittermethodwasthen
demonstratedonducks,goats,cattle,andlateron the managementof piggeries.The drylitter
technologysystemwasfirstintroducedinthe Pacificthroughapresentationatthe PacificIslandSARE
ProfessionalDevelopmentProgramTrainingSessionthatwasdone inKolonia,Pohnpei (Eco-Piggeries,
2010); and was laterintroducedinAmericanSamoathroughaUS EPA 319 researchprojectconducted
by GlenK.Fukumotofromthe Universityof Hawai’i atKealiaFarms. He was inspiredbyafellow

2. Team Compost:Sustainabilityfoundwithincomposting
colleague George Kahumoku,Jr.,whentheybothwere lookingatwaysto improve Kahumoku’sdeep-
beddedwaste managementsystem. Itwashere that Fukumotocreatedanddevisedhisdrylitter
concept. The drylittertechnologysystemisawaste systemthatoffersamuch more adaptable solution
for piggeryoperations. Itfocusesona beneficial use of nutrientresourcesthroughthe natural
compostingprocesses.
The dry littersystemstructure consistsof slopingpenfloorswithcementslabsslopedat
approximately3to 5 degreeshavingatleasta6 inchdrop at the back of the pento allow moundsand
heapsof beddingmaterial topile up(Eco-Piggeries,2010). Because of the slopingfloorsandgravity,the
animal waste andbeddingmaterial musteasilyslide outthroughagap betweenthe floorandthe back
wall. The use of carbonmaterialsrequiresnowaterforpenclean-up. Instead,pigwaste ismixedwith
rich materials,suchaswoodchips,woodshavings,grass,andleaves,anditisthendischargedoutof the
pensbythe pigsintothe waste alley. After everytwoweeks,manure isdugoutof the waste alleyand
soonto shiftintothe compostbinlitter,the compostshouldbe turnedeverytwoweeks.Suchisthen
composted,resultinginarich,organic soil alterationforcropproduction. Thisprocessalso reduces
odor that iscausedby the waste of the pigs.
Whenoperatinga piggery,thissystemhelpspreventsurface waterandgroundwaterpollution.
In termsof pestcontrol,flybreedingsitesiseffectivelyreducedanddecreaseddue tothe continuous
animal hoof action. Also,the heatof compostingreducesparasitesandothervectorbuildup. Because
of the interactionbetweencarbonandnitrogeninandduringthe co-compostingprocess,odoris
minimizedandanindividualislessexposedtonatural gases producedbyanimal waste.
Researchhas shownthe average dailybodyweightgain,feedconversationratioandsurvival
rate of pigletsraisedindeep-litterpigpenstothe equal or superiortothose raisedinconventional
concrete floorpighouses(Shen,2005).There are alsobenefitsforanimal welfare –byprovidingamore
comfortable lyingsurface,deep-littersystemsinfewerjoinlessons. Somehow,theyalsoprovidea
constantsource of manipulative materialforrootingandothernatural behaviors (Morrison,2007).
Deep-littersystemscantake differentformsfromfarmto farmbut certainfeaturesmustbe includedin
orderto achieve goodanimal welfare.Itisa simple structure thatresultsinlow constructionandlabor
costs.
Both urine andfecesistreatedinthe pen,eliminatingthe needfortreatmentelsewhere and
producinggoodqualitycompost(Correa,2009). The dry littersystemoffersmanagementtechnique to
controllingcritical odorgenerationpointsbyadjustingthe carbonallocationtothe pens.Workersafety
and risksinregardsto hydrogensulfideexposure isverylow.
Comparedtousingthe wash-downsystemormethod,the drylittersystemrequireslesstime on
itsmanagementandoperations. Addingandmaintaining the drylitterpenstake atleastthree daysper
weekjusttomake sure there are sufficientlevelsof drymaterial toabsorbthe excessmoistureinthe
animal pen(Eco-Piggeries,2010). Withineverytwoweeks,the waste alleyisshoveledandcleanedup
and placedintothe firstcompostingbin. If all five binsare full,ittakesapproximatelytwohours,
managementtime,totransferthe compostmaterial frombintobin.
Benefitstofarmersinclude the reductionof laborandtime investedinmanagingand operating
the dry littersystem. Also,waterbillswill be reduced;compostimprovesplantproductivityrecovering
cost of feeds. The systemisalsobeneficial tothe animals(pigs)beinghappierandhealthier(Wimberly

3. Team Compost:Sustainabilityfoundwithincomposting
& Fukumoto,2004). Pigswill alsogrowwell andstaycleanandtheyare able to performnatural
activitieslikerooting,thusreducingstress. Asfor the community,exposure of pathogensfromanimal
manure to groundand surface waterresourcesisminimized.
The advantagesof the deeplittersystemincludeitssimplicity;itrequiresnowaterforwashing,
it provideswarmthforthe animal,constanthoof actionreducesfliesorpests,odorisminimizedduring
the compostingprocess(Fukumoto,2010),waterisnot neededforwashingof the pen,drainage isnot
neededtherefore wastewaterdoesnotentergroundwaterandsurface water. There isrich,organic soil
withinthe compostbinsthatcan be usedforcrop production,andlaboror workeffortsare reduced
comparedto that of a wash-downsystem.
In the Marianas, the dry litterwaste managementsystemusesavailable carbonmaterial suchas
chippedcoconuthusks,woodchipsorothersuch materialsasbeddinginpigpensof small scale swine
operations. Thissystemallowsfarmerstosafelymanage animalswhile promotingahealthyandclean
environmentthroughthe sustainable utilizationof animal waste andcarbonmaterialsascompost.
As forHawai’i,the KealiaFarm’smodel significantlyimprovesthe original drylitterwaste
managementsystembyincorporatingpensizeswithslopesrangingfrom15 to 1 to 20 to 1 (Tulang&
Fukumoto,2002). Wood chipsand grass cuttingare usedas litter;bothmaterialsare excellentbedding
material forthe hogsand keepthe pensdry. Howeverthe KealisandMasazuFarms realizedthatusing
macadamianut husksyieldedbestresults. Also,the use of the macadamiahusksforthe dry litterwaste
systemproducedhealthypigs.
SimilartoAmericanSamoa,suchpiggerysystemdoesnotrelyonwaterto move the waste out
of the penand intoa storage tank; the dry littersystemeliminatesthe majorpotentialsourcesof
contaminatedrunoffs. Otherbenefitsinclude:lowerwaterbillsandlaborcoststo the farmbecause pen
washingisvirtuallyeliminated.
Research Site
Thisresearchbeganand wasconductedfromFebruary9, 2015 to March 28, 2015 at the Leota
residence inkea’au,Hawaii. The piggerycurrentlyoperateswithboththe deeplittersystemandthe
washdownmethod. Withinthe piggery,the drylittermethodisusedinonlyfivepens,andthe wash
downmethodisusedinsevenpens;thustotalstotwelve pensaltogether.
Vermicompost
Whenit comesto sustainable practices,compositingisano brainer.Compostingallowstotake various
formsof organicwaste and transformitintoa nutrientrichmaterial torejuvenate andenhance soils.
Compostingrequirescertainorganicmaterialsandconditionsthatmayneedhumaninputforbest
results.Atthe beginningof the semesterTeamCompostmemberschoose differentmethodsof
compostingtechniquestoresearchandexperiment.Teammembersmetweeklytoshare their
individualresultsandlearnfromeachother.We have compiledapapersummarizingthe techniqueswe
researchand experimentedwith.

4. Team Compost:Sustainabilityfoundwithincomposting
What isVermicomposting?
Vermicomposting,commonlyknownascompostingwithwormsisanalternative totraditional
compostingmethods.The College of Tropical Agriculture andHumanResourcesof the Universityof
Hawaii at Monoa statesvermicompostingisaneasywayto create positive environmentalimpacts.
Vermicompostingreducesamountsof organic-waste thattypicallyendsupinlandfills,incinerators,and
sometimesthe ocean.(Seldon,DuPonte,Sipes,&Dinges.2005). Compostingisperformedbyworms
and othermicroorganismstocreate a nutrient-richcompostamendmenttoenrichsoil forplantgrowth.
Thismethodof compostingisfasterthanmany traditional compostingmethods,itrequireslessspace,
and createslittle odor.Itisusedall overthe worldand isa popularoptionforthose inurban areas.It
can be perfromedonalarge scale commerical scale oron a small private scale athome.Feedingworms
plantscraps fromthe kitchenandgardenisa convenient,low-maintenance waste-processingmethod
possible almostanywherepeople live,includingurbanenvironments.(Seldon,DuPonte,Sipes,&Dinges.
2005).
The Worms.
The name vermicompostingcomesfromthe Latinword"vermi-"/vermisforworm. A numberof species
can be usedforvermiculture.InHawaii twospecies are commonlyusedcalledIndiaBlue(Perionyx
excavates) andAlabamaJumper(Amynthasgracilis).(Seldon) These wormsare self regulating,their
populationwillbe determinedbythe size of theirenvironmentandfoodavailable. Wormswill
reproduce ontheirown.Wormsat the endof life will dehydrate andbecome partof compost.Alive
wormsrequire acool,damp, anddark environmenttothrive.Theywill eatpaper,newspaper,coconut
fiber,cardboard,crushedeggshells,fruits,andvegetables.(Seldon)
Worm Box/Home.
To make a wormbinfindmultipleplasticcontainersthatcanbe stacked.Leave bottombinemptyto
catch any excessfluidsthatmaydripfromabove bins.Innextbincreate multiple holesonbottomfor
ventilationanddrainage.Adda1-2 inchlayerof damp beddingusingshreddedpaperorfiber.Ontopof
beddingaddenoughsoil forwormstobury themselves.Place organicwaste forwormstoeat andcover
withdampsheetof newspaper.Checkbinregularlytocheckwormconsumptionandcompost
production. Asthe binfillsyoucanplace anotheremptybinon topwithyour chosenwormfood.The
wormswill make theirwayfromthe previousbintothe new topbin.The previousbincanthenbe
removedandcompostmixedintogardensoil.The processcanthenbe continuedswappingbinsasthey
fill withwormcastings.
If your interestedinpurchasingwormsanda pre-made wormbox youcan visitHawaii Rainbow Worms
inHilo.(HawaiiRainbowWorms.com)
Trench Composting

5. Team Compost:Sustainabilityfoundwithincomposting
What isTrench Composting?
Trench Composting(PitComposting) allowsyoutoanaerobicallycompostusingyourfruit,
vegetable,garden,andkitchenscraps.If there isdefinite space todiglarge holeswhere youlivethen
trenchcompostingcan beneficial foryourgarden.Maintaining moisture levelsandsiftingthrough
rubbishare unnecessarywiththisspecifictype of method.If youare planningongrowingaflowerbed
or addingto yourexistinggardenbed,pitcompostingwouldbe asmartchoice.Extra leftoverscanbe
placedwhere nutritionisneededinyourthrivinggarden.Plantrootsare nourishedfromdeepinside
soil,bydiggingalarge trench,flowersare sustainedandgiventhe correctnutritionquickly.Yourherbal
arrangementwill developastrongroot systemandbe able to sufficientlycope withdry,moist,andhot
weatherconditions.Lessattentionisalsorequired.Additionally,odorsare non-existentbecause of the
depthof the trench (Vanderlinden).However,dependingonwhatyouwant toaccomplish,there are
several techniquesgardenerscanuse thatis consideredTrenchcomposting.
Techniques:
There are three distinctmethodsforTrenchcomposting:TrenchRotation,Trenchingbetween
rows,and Dipand Drop. Each methodhasprovensuccessful if youdesire afree formgarden.
Withregards to TrenchRotation,organicmatteris necessarytocreate appropriate pathwaysof
nutrients.Generally,agardenisdividedintothreesections:trenchcomposting,pathway,andgrowing
zone.Dependingonhowlongyouare planningtokeep yourtrenchcompost,itis recommendedto
rotate the compostto differentlocationsinyourpatch.Amongsta three yearperiod,if done correctly,
compostingsitesshouldbe spreadacrossthe entire allotment(Vanderlinden).
Trenchingbetweenrowsare mosteffectiveinvegetable gardens.Once the rowsare developed
witha considerable amountof space inbetweenproduce,compostscrapsshouldbe placedinthe rows.
In orderto place the scraps effectively,atrenchmustbe dug to nourishthe soil androots. The materials
addedwill eventuallybreakdownandbegintocreate a sustainable garden(Vanderlinden).
Lastly,the Dip andDrop methodisconsideredthe easiestformof Trenchcomposting.This
procedure canalso be usedinBotanical Gardensand shrubborders.Inorder to complete,alargerbowl
of vegetableandfruitpeelingsare necessary.A 12 inch hole mustbe dugin a garden,and kitchenscraps
are simplyplacedinthe hole andcovered.Thisprocedure canbe done asoftenas possible.Itisquick,
and simple (Vanderlinden).
Trench compostingisafast and easywayto make your life more sustainable.There are long
termaffectsthat couldstrengthenagarden,or simplycreate aquickfix to propup yourwiltingflower
and vegetable bed.Iwouldsuggest thistechniquetoa beginnerswhohave troublekeepingtheir
produce healthyandsustainable.

6. Team Compost:Sustainabilityfoundwithincomposting
References
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Carr, J. (2005). Encyclopediaof Animal Science (Vol.1,pp.205-836)
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Duponte,M.,Sipes,B.Seldon,P.,&Dinges,K.(2005, August).CompostingWormsforHawaii.Retrieved
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Duponte,M.,Sipes,B.Seldon,P.,&Dinges,K.(2005, August).Small-Scale Vermicomposting.Retrieved
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Wimberly,JandFukumoto,G.K..2004. A portable dry-litterpigpen. AWM-2.Cooperative
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7. Team Compost:Sustainabilityfoundwithincomposting