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