Composting On Campus

Composting is the action of allowing food and plant waste to breakdown into a soil-like mixture, that recycles the nutrients, unused by humans, back into our food cycle. 

Our compost on campus has gone under much improvement since its startup, with Grade 3’s, 5’s, Green Campus and gardening groups on campus all contributing to the composting process, we should have a great deal of soil aid to feed our plants.

Grade 3’s have been collecting pod compost, food waste from various snack times and lunchtimes. Grade 5s are on a router of classes who compost during their lunchtimes, collecting orange peels, coffee groups and cafeteria scraps. The incredible edible team top up and turn the pile twice a week to encourage the breakdown process, mixing nitrogen and carbon-heavy material together. So that when it’s ready, they use it for their plants around the school! 

After the December break, the Grade 6s will be on a router to help out with a new program, Home Compost, to get staff involved in bringing their scraps from home, furthering the work we are doing to reduce the volume of waste burnt in Singapore.

What do we put in it? 

First of all we have to have our Nitrogen heavy materials, which are usually fresh and flexible plant waste, that help to provide and retain moisture. Material like grass clippings, fruit and vegetable scraps and weeds are great examples, and products we put in our compost at school. Next we need carbon heavy materials, which are older, harder, dry waste. They tend to be bulky that helps with the airflow for the breakdown process. Examples of this are fallen leaves, cardboard, tea bags and shredded paper. 

How does it work?

In composting, controlling the components is vital to ensure the chemical process of aerobic biodegradation happens. We do this by providing a good ratio of oxygen to water in the pile so that it breaks down properly. The decomposing microbes need oxygen for the chemical process breakdown, whilst the water feeds the microbes and maintains the temperature of the pile! Ideal compost is dark and crumbly. 

Why do we need to break down food scraps and organic matter? 

Plants have so many nutrients that can be used, that's why humans eat them, however, plants can use these nutrients in this full form. A chemical process has to occur to break down the complex compounds into a form a plant can take in. Within the chemical process inside a compost pile, proteins break down into amino acids which break into ions that are water soluble, great for plants! 

Why is organic compost better than store bought? 

Organic compost releases nitrogen at a slow but sustainable rate whilst synthetic fertilizers provide immediately available nitrogen, that is unsustainable for growth, leading to tall and thin plants, prone to weather damage. 

Is Composting Worth it?

Yes! It saves money and is a more sustainable fertilizer for your plants! Additionally, by diverting the food waste into your compost, you reduce the amount of landfill pilling up, (20% of it is food waste!)

Composting is an easy, cost effective process that everyone can benefit from, if not for plants in your own house, for those in your community!