The Time is Now!!

Summer is in full swing! The grass is growing, and the trees are full of green. That leads to the problem with yard waste.

The Solution: Compost!! 

Compost is a nutrient-rich soil amendment, created by the natural decomposition of kitchen and yard waste. It is the best and easiest method for getting rid of yard waste as yard waste is BANNED from the landfill.

Compost also reduces water pollution. Organic wastes, such as grass clippings and leaves, contribute to non-point source pollution (that's pollution that enters the waters in diffuse sources, such as runoff from streets). When yard waste decomposes in the water excess nutrients are released and oxygen is depleted. . . making a horrible environment for aquatic life.

Composting is Good!!

Here is the basic formula for making compost:

One of the important things to remember about home composting is that you want to make the critters that do the all work happy. Summer can dry up a compost pile, so it is important to make sure there is moisture in your pile (as wet as a wrung-out sponge). 

Visit our "Composting" tab for more examples of compost ingredients.

Soil Testing & Compost Basics Classes May 31 - Free

SOIL SAMPLING and COMPOSTING CLASSES

FREE AND NO PRE-REGISTRATION NEEDED

 

May 31, 2014

Wessman Arena – Caitlin and 28th St.

Noon – Soil Sampling and Testing

                Learn how to take a soil sample to submit for analysis.  A discounted price for the lab sampling will be available to those attending this demo.   You will also learn how to read a soil sample test and how to improve your garden or yard’s soil.  Directions and demo on collecting a sample will be done in this session.  Guest: Jane Anklam, horticulturalist with the UW Extension.
You will have a week to then submit a sample to UW Extension in the Douglas County Courthouse, 1313 Belknap St., Room 107. 

The lab test fee is $12 ($8 plus $4 Shipping & Handling) which is a reduced price going to a lab in Marshfield, WI.  The soil test will let the landowner know :

*N-P-K needed for the plants being planted

*If there is excessive or  low amounts of  P and K in the soil
* What the % of organic matter is in the soil
* If there is a call for lime to be added

1 P.M.  Compost class

This free one-hour long class will include the basics about compost, what you can compost, and trouble-shooting about composting.  Participants earning a Master Composter class will be present and get you ready for making great soil by composting.

From 9 am -2 p.m. a rain barrel and composter pre-order pickup will be going on.  A limited quantity of extras will be for sale. 

There will also be a display setup on Vermi-composting.  Using worms to breakdown food waste.

These learning opportunities are brought to you by the City of Superior Environmental Services.  For information about these events or other learning opportunities go to www.ci.superior.wi.us/news.  Pre-registration for the classes is not required. 

Don't flush the fat!

It sounds counter-intuitive in a diet crazed world full of quick results diet products.  We're not commenting on those.  We want everyone to stop putting fats, oils, and grease down any household drain.  It can lead to some pretty sticky situations.  Case in point: London made news this week because a 17 ton fat berg was in their sewers.  A fat berg? What is THAT?  (here's the news story, in case you'd like to see the fat berg yourself)

So where do fats, oils, and grease (FOGs) come from?  Well, when you make meat (think bacon), gravy, or sauces or use cooking oils, shortening, lard, butter, margarine, etc, you're using/creating FOGs.

When fats, oils, and grease are put down the sink, they can clog up pipes either in your home or on the way to the wastewater treatment plant.  Even if they are dumped while still hot and in liquid form, they will cool and solidify on their journey to the WWTP.  The garbage disposal won't get rid of them, either.  Once they solidify, they can build up and reduce the amount of water that can flow through the pipes.  Or they can cause a sewer backup...and that is NOT a problem you want.  

If you've cooked things that use/create FOGs, you need to be able to dispose of them somehow.  Anything with fats, oils, or grease should go in the trash instead of the garbage disposal.  It also should not be put into compost bins. FOGs can attract pests and be fairly odorous in a compost bin, so not a great idea.  First of all, any dishes that were used in preparation or cooking should be wiped down without water or a cloth rag.  You should use a paper towel so that it can be discarded; using a cloth rag will just cause problems later on when the rag has to be washed.  Discard the paper towels in the trash. Any remaining food or FOGs on the cooking implements should also be discarded in the trash.  This will prevent the FOGs from becoming an expensive and gross problem for you down the line.

For more information, check out our webinar "Fats, Oils, and Grease Management for the Food Service Industry" on August 21st.  Register here.

-Written by Jillian Schubert Edwards

Save water and money with a rain barrel!

Spring and summer are great.  Sunshine, warm temperatures, blooming gardens....all things that we like to see.  However, those bulbs you plant need water to make your yard the talk of the town.  With all the other expenses of summer like high gas costs and vacations, doesn't it make sense to save a little money wherever you can? 

Instead of watering your garden from the hose off your home, purchase a rain barrel from our Rain Barrel and Compost Bin Sale.  Rain barrels capture water that runs off your roof and into your gutters and store it to be used at a later time.  When it's time to water, hook a hose to your barrel or fill a watering can from the spigot.  If the summer is dry, like much of Wisconsin experienced last summer, you can keep your plants perky with your stored water that came to you free from the sky.  Rain barrels also help keep local water bodies clean by diverting water that would typically go into the storm drain and out to the lake.       

We're also selling compost bins and accessories, including a compost turner and a kitchen scrap collector.  Composting keeps food waste out of landfills and improves soil by adding organic matter back into the soil. 

So....fill out an order form HERE or check out our website HERE. We will accept orders until May 24th, 2013 and have your items available for you on June 11th from 12:30-7:00 PM at Wessman Arena. 

The sale is sponsored by the City of Superior Environmental Services Division and UW Superior.

-Written by Jillian Schubert Edwards

Food Waste

Food makes up about twenty-one percent – which is the largest percentage – of waste going into municipal landfills and combusted for energy recovery, according to data from the 2011 Municipal Solid Waste Characterization Report.   About 33 million tons of food waste reach landfills each year in the United States.   Putting food waste in your garbage and sending it to a landfill leads to more methane gas production at the site as the food waste rots.   There are many resources related to producing the food and those are ultimately wasted as the food is discarded.   To reduce food waste from your daily meals going into a landfill you can plan ahead and only buy what you will be eating.  Produce has a limited life. Items in your freezer also have a limited life.  When fruits and vegetables rot or bread goes moldy a way to handle it is to use a compost bin in your yard.  Even in the winter, taking the food to the compost bin need not be difficult.  A variety of bins are available to place in your yard.  Small covered bins are a simple covered bucket in your kitchen can reduce your trips to the outdoor location.  Links are provided below on tips on what can be composted.   Banana peels, orange rinds don’t need to go to landfill.  Over the years you will be making rich compost for your garden.   Perhaps toward the end of the year as you reflect over the year’s happenings and set goals for the new year you could create a journal of food wasted in your home.  Becoming more aware about how much is wasted can play a role in reducing the amount of waste produced.  Then, work toward planning ahead – go ahead and eat the veggies shortly after purchasing them.  Add a compost bin to your holiday wish list and get set to start the new year with reducing your contributions of wasted food to the local landfill.

Perhaps worms are in your future.  You can try vermiculture.  In our area, Ellen Sandbeck is a great authority on this and sells books, bins and the worms to help you get started.  She has been working with the Federal Prison Camp in Duluth managing a 100 foot long worm bin, processing approximately 4,000 pounds of food waste per month.    How many pounds of waste could you keep out of the local landfill by either composting or composting with worms?  It’s all up to you.

-Written by Wendy Grethen