Centralised composting
Your local authority can organise composting
on a large scale. First the waste must be collected and segregated. This
can be in separate waste receptacles with alternate weekly collections;
* normal collection with colour coded bin liners
* normal collection with mechanical sorting of components (metals, plastics)
* community skips allocated for green
waste
Rathbarry central composting
Material bought onto a centralised composting
site is usually shredded and then piled in large heaps know as "windrows".
The windrows are turned regularly over 12-16 week period with additional
moisture added where necessary.
Druning this time material in the windrows often reach temperatures in
excess of 70c.
Composting can be operated either in open air, within buildings, or caried
out in specially contsructed tunnel chambers and the timescales outlined
above can be vastly reduced depending on the sophistication of the process
used.
In 1995, ONLY 30 tonnes of organic waste was reported as composted in
Ireland, entirely by home composting. This compares very unfacourably
with many of our European neighbours such as The Netherlands and Denmark
where large fractions of avalable organic waste are made into compost.
Things are, however, improving. There are several schemes being instablished
throuhout the country. Centralised facilities are to be installed in several
counties. Home composting schemes, either household or centralised, will
provide a positive contribution to environmental protection by diverting
organic wastes away from landfills and providing a useful horrticultural
by-product.