Best Management Practices (BMPs) at

Howard University Urban Garden Community Compost Cooperative&

Rhapsody Condo Worm Composting

Jeffrey NealILSR and Loop Closing

USCCC 2017 - Cultivating Community Composting

Loop Closing and ILSR

Existential Threat

• Rats are ubiquitous in DC, especially in areas with restaurants

• Keeping them at bay incorporated in every element

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BMPs (and then what really happens)

• Threat Mitigation• Site specifics• Feed stocks• Turning• Curing• Sifting• Data• Signage• Help• Worms

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Site Specifics

• DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR)• Urban Farm Plans - Compost Knox 3-bin system• “Squat” at Howard University’s Urban Garden

Before After

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Site Specifics

Browns staged

3 bins and 2 curing corals

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Site Specifics

Curing corrals

Finished compost staged

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Feedstock• Browns are gold• Leaves• Neighbors bag, collect bags, HU or DC deliver• Compost Cab• Parents house in the DC suburb of Reston

Loop Closing and ILSR

Feed stock

• Rat resistant storage• Leaves: Whole vs Shredded or decomposing• Changes volume ratios from 2:1 to 1:1

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Feed stock

• Wood chips• Add 1:4 wood chips to leaves• Stage and add the overs

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Feed Stock – Adding Food Scraps• All food scraps go straight into bin 1, no staging• Bin 1 has scale, bucket, and shovel• Thermometer left in all 5 piles

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Turning• Use mixing bins and tarps

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Turning• Check moisture, hand squeeze test• Add water• Tarp, too

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Curing (oops)

Rats tracks

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Curing

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Sifting

FinishedOvers

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Data

• Google Sheet• Weights• Temperatures• Moisture Content• Notes, including bad things

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Data

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Testing

• Germination test• Conduct lab test complying with USCC STA

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Signs and Set Workdays and Hours

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Partner or Perish (burnout)

• Co-Managers – Valerie Onifade, clone her!• ILSR• Compost Cab, LLC• Howard University• Rhapsody Condo Board• Washington DC, Department of Parks and Recreation• Eco-City Farm• Urban Farm Plans• Neighbors, Community

Loop Closing and ILSR

Worm Composting in a Building

• Condo of 160 units, pilot project with 10 units• Residents divert plant-based food scraps from the

landfill or waste water treatment plant• Residents stage food waste in the trash room

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Worm Composting in a Building• Select individuals transfer food to the worms• Worms staged in the stairwell bottom landing• Out of the way; accessible; climate controlled by the earth;

and available in most mid- and hi-rise buildings

Loop Closing and ILSR

Jeffrey Neal, PEloopclosing@gmail.com

Composting Improves Our Quality of Life

Loop Closing and ILSR

Back-up Slides

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Photos- Bin Lid Rat Resistance

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Photos- Biolayer built-in

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Photos

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Capstone Project – Condo Loop ClosingExtended Project – Halo Green Garden Compost Bins

Loop Closing and ILSR

Photos

Loop Closing and ILSR

Opportunities and Hurdles– Use the compost for potted plants, a community

garden, or returning to farmers– Board approval delay of 4 months: Lesson learned is to

state what I’m doing vice ask for approval– Water access at Halo Green Garden at Howard– Processes needed: how, inclusion, metrics, growth– Telling my own story (not what to do)– We are not alone!– Lesson I need to learn: Stop going at it alone!– Return DC compost to farms providing DC’s produce?

Loop Closing and ILSR

Next…• Greatly increase local composting, excess on hand• Sandy Lerner, MS '81, Co-Founder of Cisco and Founder of Ayrshire

Farm: “Problem with selling to farmers is that farmers have no money to buy anything”

• Think local, disposable income of DC residents• Everfi model: Banks fund web-based instruction• Umbrella support for diverse network of composters: QC, testing,

marketing, scheduling, etc• Local laws remove blocks to diversion, limiting food waste to

landfills pending?• Farmers market farmers, organic markets, grocers, food

distributors?

Loop Closing and ILSR

Condo Back-up Slides

– Start with 7 bins that are 2SF, estimate 7#/week rotated on a 2 week basis. Needs 30 SF to start.

– Laydown area for bins: 90 SF in 3 stairwells, 100SF in the parking garage, ???SF in storage rooms

– Can grow to at least 10 fold to 70#/week assuming worms eat their body weight weekly

– Space to deliver to and from via loading ramp– Provide extensive signage and email notices– Start with 10 motivated residents, grow from there