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  • From: seaseal <seaseal@got.net>
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [permaculture] RE compostable cups and type of composting
  • Date: Sun, 2 Aug 2009 10:33:22 -0700

Composting can be divided into two types: aerobic or with oxygen and anaerobic without oxygen. Most commercial composting is anaerobic and produces methane (now this process is being touted as the energy producer of the future). Usually anaerobic conditions do NOT break down even newspaper--see National Geographic on Garbage and their wonderful article on landfills of the past.

The commercial composting businesses I've visited use large machines (not too energy efficient) to turn or otherwise add oxygen to the compost materials.

If oxygen is not there, the aerobic micro-organisms can't live and can't decompose the materials, whether they are compostable or not. This is why things don't break down in a sanitary landfill. They just sit there, sealed in an anaerobic coffin.

Anaerobic micro-organisms are the ones that produce the methane. These are the same ones that create methane problems from large numbers of cattle--and what are indelicately known as farts in humans and all other animals with anaerobic micro-organisms in their guts.

Cecile
seaseal@got.net

The demineralisation of our food involves a lot more than the minerals that are now missing from our soils. Food processing is a major culprit. When you take wholemeal flour and convert it to white flour, you lose around 80% of the nutrient value in the process. In fact, the white flour officially becomes an “anti-nutrient” - something that takes more from your body than what you put in.




  • [permaculture] RE compostable cups and type of composting, seaseal, 08/02/2009

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