DATA: Data Table 1 Daily Activity Log A summary of student activities completed each school day for the composting program over a period of 26 days. items were activities that were not repeated. The number of activities that could be carried out was dependent on the number of people involved on that day. The largest number of student volunteers was 14, but on some days was 0, so activities were completed by compost program directors: Scardino and Troster. Date # AP paper F wing Paper Shred Paper 3-3 3 X X X Collect K cups Break down K cups Faculty collection Cafeteria collection Flower shop Met with facilities and Custodial supervisors; set up shredding machine 3-4 10 X X X X Labeled all compost bins with Compost Only signs 3-9 6 X X X X X X Delivered bins to cafeteria; Discussed materials with workers; Sorted shredded paper Deposits made 3-10 11 X X X X X X Measured coffee from week; Transported 3 turning bins to treeline 3-11 11 X X X X X X X X 3-12 6 +2 X X X X X X X 3-13 1 X X X X 3-16 14 X X X Transported, set up, and secured 2 standing manual bins; Discussed composting process; Practiced calculating ratios 3-17 1 X X X Student led another teacher on tour of set up and explained process 3-18 3 X X X 3-19 2 X X X Collected large sawdust bin from Woodshop 3-20 3 +1 X X X X Separated and measured sawdust into manageable amounts 3-23 4 X X X X X 3-24 5 X X X X 3-25 1 X X X 3-26 5 X X X X X 3-27 1 X X X X 3-30 3 X X X X X X 3-31 1 X X X 4-1 5 X X X X X 4-2 2 X X X X X X 4-13 2 X X X 4-14 0 X X X 4-15 0 +1 X X X X 4-16 1 +1 X X X X X X 4-17 0 X X X X Data Table 1 - Key # indicates number of students who volunteered on that day. +N indicates an entire class participation AP paper is preshredded from one of 4 Assistant Principal s offices. F Wing paper is paper collected from recycling bins in 1 out of 6 wings of the school including approximately 20 classrooms. Shred Paper indicates use of mechanical shredder to shred paper from classrooms. Collect K Cups from Bagel Shop at school (also run by students in special education classes). Break down K Cups indicates separation of coffee from plastic portion of item. Faculty collection is the collection of compostable materials from 2 faculty workrooms in the school and 1 environmental science classroom Cafeteria collection is the collection of compostable materials from preparation of school lunches in 2 kitchens. Flower shop is the collection of stems, leaves, flowers that cannot be used for sale in Flower Shop (also run by students in special education classes). Deposits made indicates days in which materials were added to compost bins. Clean Bins indicates when all bins used that week are disinfected. Clean bins
Data Table 2 Daily Collection Log A detailed summary of the items that were collected each school day over a 26 day period from various sources of waste within the school. The high C:N items included paper and sawdust that could be stored without breaking down. The low C:N items included food scraps and used coffee grounds, which were deposited within 1 day of collection to prevent foul odors in the school classrooms. Flower trimmings were kept separate due to their fibrous nature, which we suspected would greatly slow down the decomposition process. Date Item Mass (grams) Daily Total High C:N (can be stored) (g) Daily Total Low C:N (should deposit ASAP) (g) 3-4 Shredded Paper 1,160 1,160 3-9 Shredded Paper 3,130 3,130 860 Upper Cafeteria 305 Lower Cafeteria 430 Faculty Rooms 105 3-10 Upper Cafeteria 308 3,860 1,364 Lower Cafeteria 601 Faculty Rooms 145 Coffee grounds (1week) 310 Shredded Paper 3,860 3-11 Flowers (1 week) 6,220 6,220 (separate deposit) Coffee 2,300 3,916 Upper Cafeteria 3,556 10,220 Lower Cafeteria 4,212 Faculty Rooms 152 Shredded Paper 3,916 3-12 Shredded paper 12,090 12,090 7,640 Upper Cafeteria 3,625 Lower Cafeteria 3,847 Faculty rooms 168 3-13 Upper Cafeteria 6,120 14,050 Lower Cafeteria 7,775 Faculty rooms 155 3-16 Upper Cafeteria 5,160 10,850 Lower Cafeteria 5,475 Faculty rooms 215 3-17 Upper Cafeteria 2,430 12,000 Lower Cafeteria 7,423 Faculty rooms 127 Coffee 2,020 Flowers 15,429 15,429 (separate deposit) 3-18 Flowers 9,410 9,410 (separate deposit) Upper Cafeteria 2,430 Lower Cafeteria 6,985 9,500 Faculty rooms 85 3-19 Upper Cafeteria 3,810 10,020 Lower Cafeteria 5,480 Faculty rooms 730 3-20 Upper Cafeteria 3,140 1,921 8,120 Lower Cafeteria 4,855 Faculty rooms 125 Sawdust (1 week) 3,842 3-23 Upper Cafeteria 4,300 10,440 Lower Cafeteria 5,770 Faculty rooms 370 3-24 Upper Cafeteria 4,340 11,180 Lower Cafeteria 5,220 Faculty rooms 470 Coffee 1,150 3-25 Upper Cafeteria 3,000 8,130 Lower Cafeteria 3,840 Faculty rooms 330 Coffee 960 3-26 Upper Cafeteria 3,780 10,130 Lower Cafeteria 4,500 Faculty rooms 700
Coffee 1,150 3-27 Upper Cafeteria 5,560 11,840 Lower Cafeteria 6,590 Faculty rooms 230 3-30 Upper Cafeteria 5,980 3,130 1,040 Faculty rooms 780 Coffee 960 Pre-shredded AP Paper 1,800 Shredded paper 1,330 3-31 Upper Cafeteria 2,490 9,760 Lower Cafeteria 6,800 Faculty rooms 470 4-1 Shredded Paper 5,770 5,770 12,960 Upper Cafeteria 5,220 Lower Cafeteria 7,620 Faculty rooms 120 4-2 Upper Cafeteria 15,000 26,640 Lower Cafeteria 6,910 Faculty rooms 4,030 Coffee 700 4-13 Upper Cafeteria 3,160 5,040 Lower Cafeteria 1,800 Faculty rooms 80 4-14 Upper Cafeteria 3,400 7,520 Lower Cafeteria 3,750 Faculty rooms 370 4-15 Upper Cafeteria 5,260 16,120 Lower Cafeteria 7,740 Faculty rooms 320 Coffee 2,800 4-16 Upper Cafeteria 2,700 8,180 Lower Cafeteria 4,930 Faculty rooms 550 TOTALS 34,977 223,604 24,839(flowers separate)
Data Table 3 - Daily Deposit Logs for each Compost Bin Each bin was named by the students based on the physical appearance. Total amounts of materials deposited into each bin per school day over a 26 day period. Deposits may have been made into one bin or several bins each day depending on the amount of material collected and the amount of room available in each bin. Total mass was calculated for s of bin. A. Urban Compost Tumbler CANNON Date Item Description Item Mass (grams) Total Daily Mass Deposited(grams) 3-10 Food Scraps 1, 894 Coffee 310 6,064 Paper 3, 860 3-11 Paper 2, 200 2,200 3-13 Food Scraps 14, 050 Paper 2, 960 17,010 3-18 Food Scraps 10,000 Coffee 2,020 12,020 TOTAL 37,294 B. Insulated Dual Chamber Tumbler - RAFAEL Left Chamber Date Item Description Item Mass (grams) Total Daily Mass Deposited(grams) 3-12 Food Scraps 7, 640 Paper 5,280 12,920 3-16 Food Scraps 5,690 5,690 3-18 Food Scraps 2,430 2,430 3-24 Food Scraps 4,340 4,340 TOTAL 25,380 C. Insulated Dual Chamber Tumbler RAFAEL Right Chamber Date Item Description Item Mass (grams) Total Daily Mass Deposited(grams) 3-26 Paper 850 Sawdust 232 Coffee 2,300 Food Scraps 16,150 19,532 TOTAL 19,532 D. Yimby Tumbler LOTTO Date Item Description Item Mass (grams) Total Daily Mass Deposited(grams) 3-12 Food Scraps 7,920 Coffee 2,300 Paper 6,810 17,030 3-16 Food Scraps 5,160 5,160 3-20 Food Scraps 10,020 10,020 3-24 Food Scraps 5,690 5,690 TOTAL 37,900 E. Concord Compost Bin - SHREK Date Item Description Item Mass (grams) Total Daily Mass Deposited(grams) 3-24 Paper 1,440 Food Scraps 10,440 Sawdust 213 3-31 Food Scraps 16,520 Paper 1,800 Coffee 2,110 12,093 20,430 4-1 Food Scraps 12,960 12,960 4-2 Food Scraps 15,000 15,000 4-13 Sawdust 231 Paper 250 Food Scraps 5, 040 5,521 TOTAL 66,004
Data Table 4 Total Amounts in each bin and Calculated Total C:N Total mass was calculated for s of each bin. Percent of each material compared to total mass was calculated for each bin. C:N Ratio was researched and used throughout the experiment for further calculations. C:N equation (discussed in methods) was used to calculate the total C:N ratio for entire s of each bin based on component characteristics, including % carbon, % nitrogen, % moisture, and mass. The highest percentage of input for all bins was food scraps. The highest mass was found in the Concord Compost Bin, which is the largest bin within our data collection. The lowest C:N was in Right Chamber of the Insulated Dual Chamber. The highest C:N was in the Urban Compost Tumbler. All C:N fell within the desired 25:1 40:1 ratio range. A. Urban Compost Tumbler CANNON Item Description Mass (g) % of Total Mass C:N Ratio Food Scraps 25,944 69.566 25:1 Paper 9,020 24.186 175:1 Coffee 2,330 6.247 20:1 TOTALS 37,294 40:1 B. Insulated Dual Chamber Tumbler RAFAEL - Left chamber Item Description Mass (g) % of Total Mass C:N Ratio Food Scraps 20,100 79.196 25:1 Paper 5,280 20.804 175:1 TOTALS 25,380 38:1 C. Insulated Dual Chamber Tumbler RAFAEL Right chamber Item Description Mass (g) % of Total Mass C:N Ratio Food Scraps 16,150 82.685 25:1 Paper 850 4.352 175:1 Coffee 2,300 11.776 20:1 Sawdust 232 1.188 325:1 TOTALS 19,532 25:1 D. Yimby Tumbler LOTTO Item Description Mass (g) % of Total Mass C:N Ratio Food Scraps 28,790 75.963 25:1 Paper 6,810 17.968 175:1 Coffee 2,300 6.069 20:1 TOTALS 37,900 36:1 E. Concord Compost Bin SHREK Item Description Mass (g) % of Total Mass C:N Ratio Food Scraps 59,960 90.843 25:1 Paper 3,490 5.288 175:1 Coffee 2,110 3.197 20:1 Sawdust 444 0.673 325:1 TOTALS 66,004 28:1
Data Table 5 Biweekly Measurements and Observations of Composting Progress - Descriptions of the decomposition progress indicators made by students. All bins showed a slight increase in temperature compared to air temperature at some point in the observation process. The most recognizable indicator of activity was steam from the Yimby tumbler upon initial observation on 3/20/15. All bins, except the Concord Compost bin which has been filled last, showed some visual discoloration or breakdown of materials. All bins showed reduction in volume of s. Odor was described subjectively using student descriptions (deciphered in methods). Using odor as an indicator, the Right Chamber of the Insulated Dual Chamber Tumbler is likely to have the best moisture and C:N due to its earthy smell, while the others are likely too high in moisture resulting in rancid, mildew, or foul salad smell. Moisture was used as indicator of when to add materials with higher carbon and varied with each bin due to variation in ratios of materials added to pile. Compost temperature did not seem to vary significantly from the air temperature, which indicates that the piles of each bin are likely inactive due to improper maintenance of moisture or C:N. A. Urban Compost Tumbler - CANNON Date Visual Appearance Volume of Odor Moisture Compost Comments & Recommendations Container Content Temperature ( o C) 3/20 Items distinguishable ½ full None Dry 8* Add more vegetables 20% 4/1 Items distinguishable ¾ full Left-over salad Moist 70% 15* Do not add water Add in the same proportions of items 4/13 Items discolored ½ full Rancid Wet 90% 21 Add high carbon items to reduce moisture 4/23 Items discolored Less than ½ full Rancid Wet 18 Add high carbon items to reduce moisture * indicates temperature of compost was higher than air temperature at the time of measurement, which may indicate compost was working at that time. INTERPRETATIONS: Items may have begun to compost in first 2 observations, but the moisture became too high due to disproportionate inputs, preventing compost production. B. Insulated Dual Chamber Tumbler - RAFAEL Left chamber Date Visual Appearance Volume of Odor Moisture Compost Comments & Recommendations Container Content Temperature ( o C) 3/20 Items distinguishable ½ full None Moist 60% 5* Continue to add items in similar proportions 4/1 Items distinguishable Full Left over salad Wet 13 Add high carbon items to reduce moisture 4/13 Items discolored light coating ½ full Rancid Wet 21 Add high carbon items to reduce moisture 4/23 Items discolored Less than ½ full Mildew Wet 90% 21* Add high carbon items to reduce moisture * indicates temperature of compost was higher than air temperature at the time of measurement, which may indicate compost was working at that time. INTERPRETATIONS: Compost may have been working during the first and last observation dates, but in between, the moisture was too high, preventing proper decomposition. The moisture of the last observation is still higher than desired and may be experiencing anaerobic decomposition. C. Insulated Dual Chamber Tumbler - RAFAEL Right Chamber Date Visual Appearance Volume of Odor Moisture Compost Comments & Recommendations Container Content Temperature ( o C) 3/20 4/1 Items distinguishable Full Salad 13 Add higher carbon items as current items breakdown and volume is reduced 4/13 Less distinguishable; Turning to dark brown 4/23 Dark brown, Dry, not many distinguishable items ½ full Strong left-over salad 70% 25* Proper moisture Add some higher carbon items Less than ½ full Earthy 65% 21* Proper moisture Increased temperature Add items in same proportions. * indicates temperature of compost was higher than air temperature at the time of measurement, which may indicate compost was working at that time. INTERPRETATIONS: By maintaining proper moisture, this bin s earthy smell, increased temperature when compared to the air temperature, and reduced ability to identify items may indicate that compost is working properly.
D. Yimby Tumbler - LOTTO Date Visual Appearance Volume of Odor Moisture Compost Comments & Recommendations Container Content Temperature ( o C) 3/20 Some items ½ full Left over Moist 12* STEAM!!!! In the snow!!! distinguishable salad 65% 4/1 Some items distinguishable ½ full Stinky Wet 90% 13 Add high carbon items to reduce moisture 4/13 Items discolored ¾ full A little stinky Wet 21 Add high carbon items to reduce moisture 4/23 Items discolored Less than ½ No odor Moist 70% 19* Do not add water Add in items in same proportions * indicates temperature of compost was higher than air temperature at the time of measurement, which may indicate compost was working at that time. INTERPRETATIONS: This bin was working upon first observation indicated by the steam that was being released. Upon further additions, the moisture increased to levels that exceeded prime composting abilities, so the process slowed. At the last observation, the moisture has reduced and temperature increased, which may indicate that the compost is possibly working again. Date Visual Appearance 3/20 4/1 Items highly distinguishable 4/13 Items highly distinguishable 4/23 Items highly distinguishable E. Concord Compost Bin SHREK Volume of Container Odor Moisture Content Less than 1/2 Stinky Wet Less than 1/2 Stinky Wet Less than 1/2 No odor Moist 50% Compost Temperature ( o C) Comments & Recommendations 13 Add high carbon items to reduce moisture 21 Add high carbon items to reduce moisture 24* Continue to add items in same proportion No water Must be turned * indicates temperature of compost was higher than air temperature at the time of measurement, which may indicate compost was working at that time. INTERPRETATIONS: Continuous additions to the bin have impeded measurements. Proper turning schedule has not been incorporated yet. The final observation shows increased temperature, which may indicate that the compost has begun to decompose. Data Table 6 Percent Composition, Ratios, and Moisture Content for Compost Inputs Compilation of multiple sources indicating characteristics of each material used in this compost process. These values will be used for calculations throughout the experiment and analysis of data. Item %Carbon (dry) %Nitrogen (dry) C:N Ratio Moisture Content average Vegetable Produce 25 1 25:1 87% Coffee Grounds 20 1 20:1 25% Paper 35 0.2 175:1 20% Sawdust 32.5 0.1 325:1 15%
Data Table 7 Average Daily Temperatures for Egg Harbor Township, NJ Calculated daily averages from highs and lows provided by weather underground website for entire span of experiment. Average monthly temperatures were calculated for the days included in the study. The average temperature was calculated for March and April combined, which was 7.94 o C. April s average temperature was 5 o C higher than March, which should give the materials in the compost bins the ability to start working at higher rates. MARCH Date APRIL Date Average Daily Temperature ( o C) 3-10 7 4-1 6 3-11 12 4-2 7 3-12 5 4-3 14 3-13 2 4-4 13 3-14 9 4-5 10 3-15 6 4-6 13 3-16 5 4-7 12 3-17 11 4-8 5 3-18 2 4-9 4 3-19 0 4-10 12 3-20 1 4-11 10 3-21 6 4-12 8 3-22 3 4-13 12 3-23 1 4-14 13 3-24 0 4-15 13 3-25 1 4-16 11 3-26 12 4-17 18 3-27 8 3-28 2 3-29 2 3-30 8 3-31 7 Average Daily Temperature ( o C) Monthly Average 5.238 Monthly Average 10.647 Total Average 7.94 http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/kacy/2015/4/24/monthlycalendar.html?req_city=egg%20harbor%20tow nship&req_state=nj&req_statename=&reqdb.zip=08234&reqdb.magic=1&reqdb.wmo=99999
Data Table 8 Total Amounts Collected and Projected Amounts for Yearly Collection Amounts of food prep scraps from the cafeteria and classroom/faculty room scraps that were collected were totaled and averaged by the number of days they were collected. Classroom paper was averaged per classroom per days collected. Coffee and sawdust were collected per week, so those were averaged per week. The average amounts were applied to either a 180 day or 36 week school year to receive projected total amounts that could be collected in a school year. The classroom paper average per year was applied to 20 science classrooms to receive a total predicted amount of paper. The classroom/faculty workroom average was applied to 30 rooms, which consist of 20 science classrooms and 10 faculty workrooms. The limiting factor maintaining the C:N is the amount of food scraps collected because there is an excess of paper. There are over 100 classrooms and offices in the school and only 20 are being used in this calculation for paper. Item Amount Collected in Average Amount Trial 207,627g 9027g / day x Number of Rooms to Collect from next year Cafeteria Food Prep Scraps Classroom (2) & 10,827g 157 / room per day 30 (20 science Faculty Workroom (1) classrooms + 10 faculty Food Scraps workrooms) TOTAL FOOD COLLECTION PROJECTION = limiting factor * Not including discarded scraps by student body in cafeteria. At present we have no estimate of this total. Projected Amount collected in 1 school year (180 days) (36 weeks) 1,624,906 g / year 4,710 g / year 1,629,616g / year 162,961g / month 45,267g / week Classroom (12) Paper 33,056g 344g / room per day 20 science classrooms 1,239,600g / year Coffee (per week) Sawdust (per week) 12,350g 2,470 / week 3,842 g 3,842 / week 88,920g / year 138,312g / year Data Table 9 Projected Amounts of High Carbon Materials Necessary to Achieve Moisture Goal of 60% and/or C:N of 30: 1 - Using the following excel calculator program: http://compost.css.cornell.edu/download.html, created by Tom Richard of Cornell University s Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, the total projected amounts of food scraps and coffee that would be collected over the school year (from Table 8) were used to calculate the amount of paper or sawdust that would be required to maintain the goals of 60% and 30:1 carbon to nitrogen ratio. Percent of Carbon, Percent of Nitrogen, Moisture Content and individual C:N ratios were used from Table 6 to complete the calculation. It is indicated that more paper and sawdust would be needed to balance the moisture level than to balance the C:N ratio. Addition of more of these high carbon materials will throw off the balance of the C:N ratio, so it must be continuously monitored to determine the actual moisture. Item % H 2O % C % N Yearly Mass (kg) Amount needed to achieve moisture goal (kg) Amount needed to achieve C/N goal (kg) Vegetable Scraps 87 25 1 1,629.62 Coffee 25 20 1 88.92 Paper 20 35 0.2???? 1022.19 74.40 Sawdust 15 32.5 0.1??? 908.61 68.84
Data Table 10 Total Projected Inputs for the Year and Achievability of Moisture and C/N Goals Using the total paper and sawdust amounts necessary to balance the moisture and C:N ratio from Table 9, the total amount of compostable material can be calculated. Given amount of paper collected per year (1239.6 kg) both goals can be achieved with paper alone. Given the amount of sawdust collected per year (138.3 kg) cannot achieve moisture goal with sawdust alone, but can achieve C/N goal with sawdust alone. This information can be used to determine the types and numbers of compost bins necessary to accommodate the amount of materials collected in the school per year. Item Description Amounts To achieve Moisture Goal with Paper (kg) Amounts To achieve Moisture goal with Sawdust (kg) Amounts To achieve C/N Goal with Paper (kg) Vegetable scraps 1,629.62 1,629.62 1,629.62 1,629.62 Coffee 88.92 88.92 88.92 88.92 Paper 1022.19 74.40 Sawdust 908.61 68.84 Total inputs (kg/year) Achievable? YES Not achievable with current sawdust production 2,704.73 2,627.15 1,792.94 1,787.38 YES Amounts To achieve C/N Goal with Sawdust (kg) YES
Data Table 11 Theoretical Amount of Compost Produced Calculated by Bin Size If the bins could be filled completely with compost materials and normal decomposition was allowed to take place, the inputs would be reduced from 25-50% at by end of composting process. This table shows 50% reduction in the mass of the materials put into each bin and the amount of final compost material that will theoretically be produced under the worst-case scenario that the mass is reduced by 50%. Bin Type Worm Factory 3 tray Worm Factory 4 tray Worm Factory 5 tray Insulated Dual Chamber Tumbler Rafael Yimby Tumbler Lotto Urban Compost Tumbler Cannon Concord Compost Bin Shrek Thermoquick Compost Bin Lydia Wishing Well Composter Bin Volume of Compost Bin (L) Mass of Compost Inputs (if bin is filled) (g) Maximum Amount Reduction - (50%) (g) Theoretical Amount of Compost Product (g) 84 84,000-42,000 42,000 88 88,000-44,000 44,000 92 92,000-46,000 46,000 265 265,000-132,500 132,500 170 170,000-85,000 85,000 269 269,000-134,500 134,500 594 594,000-297,000 297,000 606 606,000-303,000 303,000 507 507,000-253,000 253,000