Composting at Virginia Prison Farms
Composting at Virginia Prison Farms
Composting at Virginia Prison Farms
During 2019 I worked for the Virginia Department of Corrections as the compost expert. We started on-site composting at 12 of 18 prison farms in Virginia. We worked with staff on setting up day to day food waste diversion and composting procedures. (Food waste and other compostables are about 50% by weight of their total waste stream.) As part of the program, staff were trained as compost facility operators. Daily food waste amounts vary from about 200 lbs/day to 2 tons/day. As a result of this program, a total of about 6 tons/day food waste is being composted on-site - avoiding hauling and avoiding landfill disposal of compostable material. The resulting compost will be used to build soils. This type of solution makes sense for institutions that have a tractor, a little bit of space, and staff who can focus on composting for a few hours each week. Simple turned static pile composting works well for rural locations - no need for aeration systems. Dumpster size and frequency of pick up can be reduced so there is ongoing cost savings. It is the right thing to do and it just makes sense.
Let's talk!
Composting at Virginia Prison Farms
Composting at Virginia Prison Farms
Contact me to arrange a site visit. Perhaps you are producing a large amount of compostable waste - you might be able to compost it onsite! Perhaps you run a retreat center or summer camp! We can set up onsite composting and cut your hauling costs way down. Let's talk!
Display real testimonials
Composting at Virginia Prison Farms
Display real testimonials
"Beth is very knowledgable and has a lot of experience with small to mid-scale "hot" composting."
"Beth has been coordinating the vermi- composting at the New Deal Cafe for the last 3 or 4 years. For the last 2 years we have been producing high quality vermi-compost."