Waste

Heap Composting
The heap compost pile has diverted about 90% of the food waste from the Ecohouse from going to a landfill. Landfills purposely do not allow waste to degrade, and so maintaining a composting system allows organic waste to be used productively on a garden or farm. The heap composting system breaks down vegetation using bacterial composting, and if it is done properly it does not produce a bad odor. The bottom of the heap is open for worms to come up, but most of the work is done by bacteria.

Residents put scraps of fruits, vegetables, eggshells, and small scraps of bread in the heap. The heap compost cannot receive any meat or dairy, nor can it process large amounts of oily foods. Ecohouse residents add newspaper or leaves in a 1 part food waste to 3 or 4 parts newspaper ratio.

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