Palmer Trinity School

8 W W W. PA L M E R T R I N I T Y. O R G FOR YEARS, garbage trucks have picked up Palmer Trinity's food waste from the cafeteria and taken it to landfills, where it builds up. Side by side with plastic bags, cartons, and bottle caps, this neglected food takes up space, creates smells, and contaminates the Earth. Food scraps make up 20 percent of all waste that is put in landfills. Organic materials, including many of those foods, can be kept away from landfills and broken down by a process called composting. Palmer Trinity started composting on January 18, 2017. What is composting, and how does it work at Palmer Trinity? Palmer Trinity owns two composters: one purchased online, and another donated by science teacher Mr. Evans. Each is a different kind of composter that uses a slightly different method to break down its waste. e composter bought by the Palmer Trinity Compost Initiative is called a "tumbler," and it has a big barrel suspended atop two stilts. e barrel has a lever attached to its side that is used to spin the composter. e composter has to be spun once a day, which causes aeration in the chamber containing the food waste, breaking down all of the food instead of a small amount. e bin is spun for 14 days before the waste is fully broken down by heat, oxygen, and microbial bacteria. In order to have the capability to be broken down, food waste cannot be the only material inside the compost bin. "Browns" like dead leaves and grass clippings should ideally outnumber the food waste by up to 30 times in order to create an environment suitable for the decomposition of organic trash. e carbon to nitrogen ratio dictates the decomposition process. Many online sites sell "compost activators," which are condensed cubes of browns that can improve the carbon to nitrogen ratio. As a relatively inexpensive and effective catalyst, the PTS Compost Initiative will use a combination of activators and dead leaves around campus to fuel the compost. e other kind of composter is a cube which does not require spinning and is not suspended. e cube is a small box with a floor open to the ground, meant to attain geothermal heat and natural bacteria for the process of breaking down. is uses the "add- as-you-go" process, allowing food to be added to the composter daily. A small opening at the bottom of the cube allows for the oldest and most decomposed food waste to leave the cube as newer food comes in. Earthworms and other natural catalysts can be added to the pile in order to speed up the process. e end product of all the composting is naturally fertilized, especially healthy soil rather than waste that sits in a landfill. e trees produced from composted soil will consume carbon dioxide, helping to mitigate the effects of climate change. Composting results in an eco-friendly recycling process. Soil produced from Palmer Trinity's composters can be used in the garden and around campus, or wherever it is needed. e PTS Compost Initiative has volunteers that spin the compost tumbler after school, help direct students to the correct bin while disposing of their food, and transport bags of excess food to the composters. We are doing our part to sustain the environment. THE PTS COMPOST INITIATIVE BY A NDRE W SHODE L L , CL A S S OF 2019

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