Subject: [permaculture] Composting an Entire House
Date: Fri, 25 Nov 2005 02:35:53 -0500
Hi all,
Without knowing much about conventional home construction, I was
wondering how it would be possible to systematically compost an entire
suburban house. Here I'm thinking of a structure more or less along the
lines of the average American McMansion. I'm having difficulty picturing
the scope of what might be involved in such a project -- these questions
in particular come to mind:
1. To what extent would a house have to be deconstructed before it
could be composted? How much of the garbage used to produce a modern
home would actually be useful? Here I'm thinking PVC, wiring, plumbing
fittings, lighting, ducts, misc. mechanical elements, etc.
2. Would inorganic materials necessarily have to be extracted from
the more biodegradable elements? Roughly what percentage of the
structural volume of the average house is biodegradable?
3. Could more specific bioremediating agents be introduced to act on
inorganic components or problem organics (eg, chemically treated wood)?
4. What other tools might one use to catalyze the composting of a
large structure like this? How could a long-term composting site like
this be used in other ways? (eg, using bioremediating agents for food or
fuel)