Show Notes for Green Assistant Radio Episode 11 (aired 2-21-2022 on AshevilleFM.org)
COMPOST is re-cycling your Food Waste
About 30% of our landfill waste is actually compostable! Food matter and yard waste that end up in the landfill DO NOT break down very well. It is an anaerobic environment (no oxygen) so it becomes mushy, smelly sludge that produces massive amounts of methane gas, which is actually up to 80% worse upon release than carbon dioxide.
Yes, compost piles also release methane, but in a much lesser amount, as they utilize oxygen and microbes and worms and heat and bugs (oh my!) to break it all down.
But first, 40% of the food produced in the United States is NEVER EATEN!
While the majority of this is food waste is from larger businesses, like produce left to rot in commercial growing fields, or unsold food from restaurants and food services, there is a portion tossed out daily from our very own kitchens. And this is exactly where we can do the most good!
Please eat food before it goes bad.
- Can't eat it all? Share it with a neighbor (make a freebie table of produce on your front walkway), or try to purchase less next time.
- Did you just forget that the fruit was in the back of the fridge? Happens to us all the time! So, start to pay attention to which items you are throwing out, and see if it will be worth a change in purchasing or cooking or storing. (Only you know what is sustainable for you.) -- Would it help to make a list of the food in your fridge, including dates purchased? (And expiration dates, although those are often arbitrary dates chosen by the producer to encourage you to throw away food and purchase new. *future topic for Green Assistant Radio!) Let us know your produce saving techniques 😍👍 and we will share them on air!
Okay, but now that we do have some food scraps to discard, what do we do with them?
IT IS EASY TO COMPOST: Best option is to look it up online. TBH, I don't know your learning style, but I first explored composting through books that I borrowed from my library. Now? I tend to utilize YouTube videos for much of my learning. At least, that is where I start learning, and then I dig deeper for more information. And thank goodness I do, because I learned that I was WRONG about Compostable Plastics!
Okay, I still don't like them for a few reasons: 🤓
1) Most are never making it into composting facilities, so they are still SINGLE USE ITEMS. (technically, they are still single use, even when you compost them. Reality hurts sometimes, I know. 🐶 <-- here's a dog emoji to make you feel better for a moment.
2) Many of these "compostable plastics" require more resources and energy to make them than their conventional plastic counterparts. So, especially if they are not getting composted, they are not a better option.
3) Compostable Plastics are waaaaay more about marketing than helping the environment. Customers are the ones who drive decisions at restaurants and stores. If WE DEMANDED BETTER, we would get better. But these compostable plastic cups and utensils make us feel better, so we don't notice or complain about the waste, so they keep on doing business. But first, we must wake up to the deception.
- Note: This is not an attack on restaurants or stores. Many of the people making choices in business just do not know the true value of different "eco-choices." Remember, this is marketed to them too!
🤍🤍 If you are a business that wants to know ALL of your green options out there, contact us at thegreenassistant@gmail.com and let's start exploring it together. 🤍🤍
Anyway, here are the different styles of composting I touched on in today's show. (You can listen to this episode again through March 6th in the Archives at AshevilleFM.org.)
Backyard Compost Piles:
Here's the compost bin I built out of 3 food pallets and some repurposed rope. I dug into the red clay (notorious in Charlotte!) about 2 inches to sink the pallets. I only had enough rope to secure the tops, so I made do with what I had!
Yes, compost piles can smell. Often, if you are a lazy composter (like me!), there will be imbalance in the pile: too much greens (nitrogen) which makes the pile too hot and uses up all the oxygen so your microbes can't survive, too much water, not enough water, and a ton of other small things that can build up.
Consider this when placing your backyard compost bin:
- keep your bin far enough away from your door to keep any pests away from your house, but close enough that you will still want to go out there and dump your kitchen waste.
- keep away from areas where your neighbors hang out in their yard. They don't want to smell it either.
- If you have a dog or cat that hangs out outside, will they try to get onto your pile? Consider that when planning your compost bin: placement, style of compost bin, AND what you will be putting into your pile. + We built a little fence around ours when we got a puppy. It worked alright... he could still get some stuff that fell through, but we repurposed some green fencing so are content with that choice. (Knox sure didn't mind lol! Here is a pic of him gnawing on the stalk of a collard plant. Yes, fresh from the compost pile. 🤢)
- The area where we placed our bin was in the shade of a tree, so the place where you stand while turning the pile got muddy and slippery. I repurposed this solid-top shipping pallet as a standing platform. Worked GREAT! Also kept the puppy out of the pile!
As I mentioned, I don't love tumbler composters, as I have yet to see one actually make good and usable compost, but this may be the best option for some households.
(Please let me know if you love yours and if it works!)
- If you are in an apartment with a balcony, this is NOT a valid option... the liquid (aka compost tea) will leak from this container, sooner or later. And when it does, it'll really suck to be your downstairs neighbor. Please consider Vermicomposting or Community Composting through Buncombe County.
Vermicomposting Resources:
How To Video: How to Make a Worm Bin | Easy DIY Worm Farm
Community Composting through the City of Asheville and Buncombe County:
Learn more and sign up here!
Here is a Study/Report on Composting from North Carolina in 2016:
@AVLFREEARTSUPPLY
We are excited that Asheville Free Art Supply with be on-site with us at our Winter Supply Drive "Party in the Parking Lot" at AshevilleFM (1-3pm on Monday Feb, 28th at 864 Haywood Road in West AVL), accepting a whole manner of (usable) art supplies to redistribute in the community. Let's clear out our art supplies, donate it intentionally, and empower all in the community with access to these powerful tools of creativity and self-expression!
Clothing : I obviously have a complex.
I mis-stated today that 90% of the clothing we donate to the Big Thrift Stores are not sold.
Correction: About 10% are resold in their stores and in their online stores.
Some is landfilled.
👉👉👉 But the clothes "sent" overseas are SOLD as bulk fabric. (Again, overwhelming other communities with our garbage, uh, I mean clothes donations.) So this non-profit here in the US is making money from your donations (they get money to "employ" people and for the amount of waste that they divert, as well as for other things) and they get paid for reselling it as bulk garbage. 😕
Seriously, I am so obsessed right now.
So, another option is to give directly to people who need the goods you've got (information below), or redirect some of those Good good Winter Supplies to our Warming Supply Drive on Monday, February 28th from 1-3pm at AshevilleFM (864 Haywood Road) in West Asheville.
And I will never stop sharing videos like this:
📺 Great YouTube video about the big blue thrift store
WARNING :: LANGUAGE click here
GIVE DIRECTLY
BeLoved Street Pantries:
Keep a Bin of Supplies In Your Car:
Have a stash of large socks, gloves, hats, and blankets in the backseat of your car. Then, if you see someone at a stoplight or while parking your car, you can offer up some love in the form of warming supplies!
Participate in our Warming Supply Drive with Greater Charlotte RISE:
We are making it easy for you to donate your WINTER SUPPLIES to our drop spot and we will redistribute within communities all over North Carolina! Here is our list of VERY SPECIFIC items and rules regarding what is needed, what needs to be done before donating anything, and where you can find our drop spots.
FINAL Collection Point:
Monday February 28th, 1-3pm @ AshevilleFM (864 Haywood Road)
Warming Supply Drive Webpage is available right here.
You will find details about what items we are accepting and multiple opportunities to make those intentional donations!
Are you interested in hosting a collection point at your office,
hiking club, business, or housing complex?
We are interested in supporting you! Email Walker at thegreenassistant@gmail.com with HOST A SITE in the Subject Line. If we get 5-10 people who say they are interested, we will host a Zoom Meeting to explore best practices (and challenges) as a group. That's when it is the most fun!
And if we don't reach that many people, Walker will work with you directly to make sure your collection and redistribution of supplies is a SUCCESS!
Green Assistant Radio Shout Outs:
Featured Music:
Aloe Blacc, You Make Me Smile
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, One In A Million
Official YouTube Page for Pete Rock
Leon Bridges, Smooth Sailin'
👑 Coming to AVL on May 18th, 2022 at Rabbit Rabbit
Dustin Thomas, Wake, Rise, Shine
Gratitude to the Underwriters of AshevilleFM featured during this episode:
AshevilleFM.org Underwriting Opportunities: AshevilleFM.org
Organic Growers School's Farm Beginnings: organicgrowersschool.org
Lenoir-Rhyne University: lr.edu/asheville
Next Week's Show: Main topic? No idea! 🤪
+ Have a topic you want us to cover? Let us know about it and come on air with us. This is so much more fun with a team!