In the States:
I collect my food scraps into containers and store them in my freezer. Once they are full, I take a trip thirty minutes south to my mom’s compost bins, which fertilizes a very impressive vegetable garden, which in turn feeds the family. Composting at a individual rate seems to be becoming more common, but not at a town or city level. I can think of one company in the area that offers pick up of home composting - VitaNova Compost (and they are awesome). I also just discovered Clean Ocean Access’s project Healthy Soils Healthy Seas, which is a really cool composting program happening in Newport County, RI.
In Norway:
I was pleasantly surprised that here in Oslo, all households separate food from the residual waste. In fact, trash and recycling are much more separate here and there are specific containers for: plastic, paper, glass & aluminium, food waste, residual waste, and the bottled beverages all get returned to the store for money. Back home the return rate for a can is $.05, here it ranges from 2-3kr (or $.22-.33) so the return incentive is significantly more. This is definitely something I think that could be worked on back home, a higher rate for bottle returns would certainly help in our recycling cycle. Okay but back to compost….
Plastic & Fibers in Compost, 2022
In the NGI Lab:
There is a study focusing on compost made from food waste generated in Oslo.
The background information:
food scraps are collected into green bags (these are not biodegradable, although some households purchase actual biodegradable options)
the bags are collected by the city and taken to a facility
where they are cut open and the contents processed for compost
Unfortunately, plastic is finding its way into the end composting result. The research at the lab is to discover the quantities, chemical make up, and possible separation options for the plastic. While this research project is happening in Norway, it makes me draw parallels to my composting back home. My previous knowledge of composting is at a small and intimate level. For the most part, I know and see what goes into the food cycle in my mom’s garden. The study in the lab has brought me to the next level of witnessing compost at a bigger scale and with it, the problems that occur. The plastic pollution can be seen with the naked eye, no microscope needed. Fragments from the green collection bags cling to the organic materials, bits of tinfoil shimmer, and translucent plastic films try to blend into the soil. It is abundantly clear that plastic is here, in the compost, in the soil.
Compost Study, 2022
So follow along on the blog as I photographically examine the compost study in the lab, and search for ways to share the importance of this research. Have questions or comments? Great! Send me an email and I will try my best to answer them. (elizabethellenwood@gmail.com)