10 major causes of environmental damage environment today
Design For Sustainable Development Compost Design Presentation
1. WASTE REDUCTION and RE-USE:
INDOOR/OUTDOOR KITCHEN COMPOSTING
4.3.2010
April P. McEwan
IND 548 Design for Sustainable Development
2. The amount offood waste generated in the US is the third largest waste stream after
paper and yard waste. In 2008, about 12.7% of the total municipal solid waste (MSW) generated in
America was food scraps. Less than three percent of that 32 million tons was recovered and recycled.
The rest - 31 million tons - was thrown away into landfills or incinerators.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
IMAGE i
Justification & Significance
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3. Yard trimmings and food residuals together constitute 26%
of the U.S. municipal solid waste [MSW] stream. That's a lot of waste to send to landfills when it
could become useful and environmentally beneficial compost
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Justification & Significance
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4. ORGANIC MATTER + O2 + H2O + NO3- + SO42- +
HEAT = COMPOST
Shivel et al., 2006
For beneficial nutrient-rich compost, you simply
need green (food waste) and brown (yard waste)
organic matter, oxygen, air, time, and heat.
Compost Process
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5. Compost , or Humus, the nutrient-rich benefits of
composting food and yard waste
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6. Compost can…
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Suppress plant diseases and pests.
Reduce or eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers.
Promote higher yields of agricultural crops.
Facilitate reforestation, wetlands restoration, and habitat revitalization efforts by amending
contaminated, compacted, and marginal soils.
Cost-effectively remediate soils contaminated by hazardous waste.
Remove solids, oil, grease, and heavy metals from storm-water runoff.
Capture and destroy 99.6 percent of industrial volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) in contaminated air.
Provide cost savings of at least 50 percent over conventional soil, water, and air pollution remediation
technologies, where applicable.
Justification & Significance
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7. Solutions for diverting food and vegetation waste to compost involve re-designing the kitchen
to accommodate the collection of kitchen scraps for easier composting, thus providing enriched garden
soil for home gardens.
KITCHEN
GARDEN COMPOST
Conceptual Framework
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18. Figure 1 “Total Municipal Solid Waste Generation, 2007”
United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2009). Wastes - Resource Conservation – Common Wastes &
Materials – Organic Materials: Basic Information about Food Waste. Retrieved 3.22.10, 2010, from http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/materials/organics/food/fd-
basic.htm
Figure 2 “Conceptual Framework for Solutions A & B”
Figure 3 “Ceramic Compost Crock”
Clean Air Gardening. (2010). Environmentally Friendly Lawn & Garden Supplies. Retrieved 3.22.2010, from
http://www.cleanairgardening.com/ceramic-compost-crock.html
Figure 4 “Nature Mill’s electric composter”
Nature Mill. (2010). Compost Made Easy! Retrieved 3.22.2010, from http://naturemill.com/howItWorks.html
Figure 5 “Kitchen Island Plan View: 12” CB = Compost Base (not to scale)
Figure 6 “Kitchen Island Elevation: 12” CB = Compost Base (not to scale)”
Figure 7 “Kitchen Island Elevation Detail with Compost Base Pull-out (not to scale)”
Figure 8 “Indoor/Outdoor Compost System Section of Kitchen Exterior/Sink Wall (not to scale)”
Figure 9 “Kitchen Exterior/Sink Wall Plan View” (not to scale)
Figure 10 “Kitchen Exterior/Sink Wall Elevation” (not to scale)
Image References
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19. Figure 11 “Kitchen Exterior/Sink Wall Plan View Compost System Detail” (not to scale)
Figure 12 “Figure 12: Compost System Section Detail” (not to scale)
Figure 13 “Compost System Interior Elevation Detail” (not to scale)
Figure 14 “Compost System Exterior Elevation” (not to scale)
Figure 15 “Total Impacts/Lifetime Calculations with Carbon Factors”
Figure 16 “Total Impacts/Lifetime Calculations with Okala Factors”
Figure 17 “Compost, or Humus, the nutrient-rich benefits of composting food and yard waste”
The Environmental Industry Associations. (2010). Landfills: Municipal Solid Waste Landfills. Retrieved 5.1.2010,
From http://www.organicgardeninfo.com/organic-gardening-compost.html
Image References
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20. Belletire, S., St. Pierre, L. & White, P. (2004). Okala: Learning ecological design. Portland.
Glynn County Official Website. (2008). Glynn County Solid Waste Program. Retrieved 3.22.2010, from
http://www.glynncounty.org/search.aspx?M=C&S=1&SearchString=%20solid%20waste%20program%20&ysnCount=0&showall=1
McDonough, W., & Braungart, M. (2002). Cradle to cradle: remaking the way we make things. New York:
North Point Press.
N. Trautmann et al., (1996). Cornell composting. Composting in schools. Troubleshooting compost problems.
Retrieved 5.1.2010, from Cornell University, Cornell Waste Management Institute, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences Web site:
http://compost.css.cornell.edu/TROUBLE.HTML
Pollan, M. (2002). The botany of desire: A plant’s-eye view of the world. New York: Random House Trade
Paperbacks.
Shilev, S., Mladen, N., Ventsislava, V. & Aladjadjiyan, A. (2007). Composting of food and agricultural wastes. In V.
Oreopoulou (Ed.), W. Russ (Series Ed.) & K. Kristbergsson (Series Ed.). Utilization of by-products and treatment of waste in the food industry (pp. 283-
302). New York: Springer Science + Business Media, LLC.
The Environmental Industry Associations. (2010). Landfills: Municipal Solid Waste Landfills. Retrieved 5.1.2010,
from http://www.environmentalistseveryday.org/issues-solid-waste-technologies-regulations/landfills garbage-disposal/index.php
United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2009). Wastes - Resource Conservation - Reduce, Reuse,
Recycle – Composting. Retrieved 3.22.10, 2010, from http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/rrr/composting/
United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2009). Wastes - Resource Conservation - Reduce, Reuse,
Recycle – Composting : Basic Information. Retrieved 3.22.10, 2010, from http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/rrr/composting/basic.htm
United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2009). Wastes - Resource Conservation – Common Wastes &
Materials – Organic Materials: Basic Information about Food Waste. Retrieved 3.22.10, 2010, from
http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/materials/organics/food/fd-basic.htm
United States Environmental Protection Agency. (1997). Estimating and Addressing America’s Food Losses.
Retrieved 3.22.2010, from http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/materials/organics/food/fd-basic.htm
Vasil, A. (2009). Ecoholic. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
Citation References
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21. Questions & Comments?
Thank you!
FOR TIPS ON COMPOSTING, VISIT
WWW.EPA.GOV/OSW/CONSERVE/RRR/COMPOSTING/
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