Aegina Composting Initiative
Contributors: Kelsey Forbis, Preston Gabriel, Kelsey Kaiser, Mallory Long, Jenny Molnar
Instructor: Dr. Sean Terry
Instructor: Dr. Sean Terry
Contributors: Kelsey Forbis, Preston Gabriel, Kelsey Kaiser, Mallory Long, Jenny Molnar
Instructor: Dr. Sean Terry
Introduction
Aegina, Greece is an island of striking beauty and ancient history. Crystal blue Aegean waters frame its beaches, and the agricultural landscape of pistachios and olives accent the terraced hillsides. People are drawn to live and to vacation on Aegina, and in recent times, this has led to an increasing amount of garbage. The cost of collecting and transporting this garbage to a landfill has been a problem for Aegina, but now a new initiative offers a solution to this issue.
Agricultural Fertilizer:
There are many needs that could be fulfilled by implementing a successful composting system on Aegina Island. One of the biggest needs for composting comes from the expensive cost of imported fertilizer. This high cost causes the price of growing pistachios to increase. When farmers enter the common market, the price for their pistachios decreases, but the price of producing is still high. This causes the profit to decrease. If farmers could reduce fertilizer costs by making compost themselves they would save a lot of money. The need for an inexpensive fertilizer is strong and would be widely accepted on the island as many people rely on fertilizers for their livelihood.
Health Issues:
When looking at the health issues that are associated with solid food wastes in municipal trash, it is clear that composting could offer a more sanitary alternative to garbage disposal. Examples of taking care of the trash the responsible way would consists of not just dumping scraps in a normal trash can, but putting them in a separate compost bin where they will be able to be used as fertilizer. This reduces the issue of odor, rodents, and insects. In the case of Aegina, this could also reduce the number of stray cats that are attracted to the trash bins. (Reducing).
Reducing Trash Hauling Costs:
The use of composting could also greatly reduce the amount of trash that is shipped away to landfills. According to Vassos Kanellopoulou, an estimate on now much trash is thrown away that could be used in compost is about 35%‐40%, but for Aegina she believed that it could be around 50%. This is due to all of the pruning materials that could be added to compost. Their ideal goal is to send only 20% of trash to landfills. Until about 30 years ago, most people did use all of their trash in one way or another. When trashcans became symbols of wealth, people stopped being so conscious and started throwing more things away.
Promoting a Clean City:
Composting can also improve the city's look as a whole. If people started to compost more this would eliminate a lot of the trash on the streets and around the dumpsters. With Aegina being a popular place for tourists, it is important to keep the city clean so that people will want to come back. Also, if the trash is removed more often the cats that gather around the dumpsters would also become less of a problem. This would help to increase the overall cleanliness and appeal of Aegina as an island.
Examples of Success:
“All you have to do is add the scraps, add the bran, and walk away. The microorganisms will do all of the work. You don’t even have to pay them.”-Adam Footer
Bokashi Composting:
Bokashi has been used for centuries by Japanese farmers; covering food waste with a local soil that contains the microorganisms used to ferment the waste. This type of composting will break down dairy, meat, and baked goods that many other systems would not. There are no strong putrid odors, nor is there insects or rodents attracted by it. The process can take up to two weeks before you can add it to the worm bin or straight into the soil. From here, it will take anywhere from two to four weeks to be fully integrated into the soil depending on the local soil’s biological activity and climate.
One example of success comes from one of Drury University’s Environmental Studies Professor, Dr. Sean Terry, who uses Bokashi in his family’s garden. In using this system his family has cut their household waste in half by recycling all food items. In addition to composting, his family also recycles plastic, cutting their total waste another 30%. This gives the Terry family a total of only 20% of non-recyclable and non-compostable waste that needs to go to the landfill.
Kalamata, Greece has started recycling and composting with great success. A local shared her success with composting in the Manifest Magazine back in 2010. She stated that she has been composting for seven years and at first had issues with moisture. During the summer she lightly sprinkled water once a week to keep her waste pile moist and covered it with cardboard or old cotton fabric to conserve the moisture. “A sprinkling ever now and then adds nitrogen which accelerates the breakdown and adds useful bacteria,” she stated. A list of things she added from her kitchen includes; uncooked vegetable and fruit waste, fish bones, tea bags, coffee grounds and egg shells. (Composting in Greece, 2010)
In the beginning Kalamata started with only 10 bins in a few communities. The idea was to get the community involved and promote cleaner and healthier communities. Each bin needs three people to function and is made out of four wooden pallets. Today, there are sixty bins in the communities in Kalamata and the organization has asked for forty more. Re-Think, the association who leads this movement, is a solely-volunteer based organization. This group of volunteers is teaching the community the values of composting and have involved the schools in many activities. They believe teaching the younger generation the importance of composting is key.
An example of local success comes from fellow Aegina farmer Ilias Kokkinelis. Ilias claims that upon using his home-grown compost in his garden he was able to maintain plants with 3 time’s bigger roots. In addition, the tomatoes were three times the normal size and were rich in vitamins. The microorganisms have significantly helped the stability and reliability of his plants. Ilias went on to say the primary benefits of composting includes healthier living and cost savings.
Goals of the Aegina Composting Initiative:
· Reduce waste hauling cost
o Today, the cost of trash disposal can cost anywhere from 60 to 80 euros per ton. This does not include the cost to haul the trash to the landfill or the cost to physically collect the trash (Kanellopoulou).
o With composting, the goal would be to only have to burry 20% of waste. 50% of garbage in Aegina has the potential to be composted due to the large amount of pruning materials.
· Promote organic and local fertilizer
o The price of importing fertilizer for pistachio plants is very high. The problem with this is that when the pistachio farmers take their product to the open market they are not receiving as much money, but their costs of producing are still high. This is turn leads to a loss for the farmers (Alyfantis).
o Promoting local fertilizer is not only a cheaper alternative but would be in very high demand since everyone relies on fertilizer to add to their plants.
· Promote awareness about composting through education system
o Lesson plans can incorporate information about composting into the curriculum of the middle school students in Aegina (Valomenos).
o By increasing awareness to the younger generation, long term sustainability could be reached for composting.
· Reduce health risks associated with solid waste disposal
o Biggest concern is the gases that are emitted from the anaerobic degradation of organic materials. This is called biogas and is made mainly of carbon dioxide and methane. Carbon dioxide has the ability to affect the human respiratory system. More than 5% of carbon dioxide in the air can lead to headaches and vertigo and more than 8% can be lethal
o Organic wastes in landfills also attract vermin, birds, and in the case of Aegina specifically, stray cats. These animals that are attracted to the food wastes that are thrown away can then carry diseases that have the potential to affect citizens (Ramke, 9).
· Promote civic and municipal cooperation on waste management
o In order for composting to be successful, it will take the cooperation of not only the citizens but the municipality working together to ensure long term success.
Benefits
· Citizens of Aegina could receive is a surplus of money from the reduction of waste hauling cost.
o A portion of this excess money could be used to haul off additional trash from beach cleanups. When more beach cleanups begin to occur, the amount of waste on the island is going to increase.
o According to Vasso Kanellopoulou, the waste service in Aegina does not come often enough. With this extra money allotment, Aegina could increase the amount of times the trash is picked up weekly.
· Saving money on Fertilizer
o Fertilizer is very expensive. According to Nikos Alyfantis, Aegina currently imports all of the water, nitrogen, and organic materials they use on their soil.
o By adopting a composting system, the price people pay will be minimal, as they will only have the initial start up costs. Once the compost is started, individuals will create fertilizer by placing their food and yard waste into the composting site. The organisms will then break down that waste and convert it to an organic fertilizer (Ilias).
· Educate people on composting at a younger age
o Teachers can incorporate a composting lesson into their science curriculum each year and teach the students how the system works (Dimitri).
o By introducing this idea to children at a younger age, they will gain a greater appreciation and understanding of a composting system (Dimitri). After gaining a greater knowledge of composting, students can then contribute to composting sites at their school, home, and community.
· Create a healthier environment for citizens by improving sanitation
o When food waste sits in the trash bins, it begins to release a foul smell. Not only is this displeasing to people, but it also serves as an attraction to bugs and rodents. (Reducing).
o By placing these food scraps in a composting site, the food is broken down by organisms and insect and rodent are greatly reduced, if not eliminated completely (Reducing).
· Composting will have the potential to unite the community of Aegina
o For composting to be done on a large scale, citizens of Aegina are going to have to work together to be successful (Ilias).
Long-Term Sustainability:
Long-term sustainability is a concept that has gained considerable attention following revelations about global warming and dwindling natural resources. At its most basic level, long-term sustainability suggests that a society will improve its chances of survival in the future by ensuring that resources used by the business are responsibly managed and maintained. “Sustainability is important to making sure that we have and will continue to have, the water, materials, and resources to protect human health and our environment” (United States Environmental Protection Agency).
As a part of this concept, the future association of Aegina Composting is working to reduce waste hauling costs and the health risks from solid waste. The strategy is simple; to promote sustainability initiatives, such as waste management and composting, through youth education and municipal cooperation. These strategies will help the island of Aegina reap the benefits of sustainability. By promoting healthier qualities of soil and cleaner water, Aegina can ensure adequate resources for the future.
Composting has been shown to increase soil quality by increasing organic matter and altering concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorous, as well as changing bulk density, porosity, and water holding capacity. These changes could be beneficial for soil conservation, particularly in Aegina soils that are degraded and lack nitrogen and carbon from natural substances.
Further, the additional cost benefits should create incentives to promote the compost and recycling initiative. By adopting the composting initiative, resources will be used more efficiently and in time will lead to sustainability. As of now it is extremely expensive for pistachio farmers to bring compost and manure to the island. These additional costs are a threat to the pistachio farmers when they enter the common market as the price of pistachios was nearly cut in half.
Conclusion:
Research for this project supports the conclusion that by implementing a successful composting program, Aegina has the ability to maintain its natural beauty and improve its economy. There are many benefits that result from composting including a reduction in costs and a healthier style of living. These types of programs have already made a difference in communities across the world. Aegina has great potential with the idea to start an “Aegina Composting Association” as its neighbor, Kalamata, has already done. The next step is to raise awareness and educate the people about the positive effects composting can offer.
Works Cited
Alyfantis, Nikos. (2014, June 3). Personal Interview
"Composting." Aegina. 7 June 2014. Lecture.
H, Jenny. "Bokashi Mudballs And Bengal Tigers." Review. Web log post. Blog on All Things Bokashi-food Recycling for Our Future. 6 Dec. 2010. Web. 3 June 2014.
Kanellopoulou, Vasso. (2014, June 3). Personal Interview
Kerry. "Composting in Greece." Parea Sti Mani. Web. 5 June 2014.
Ramke, H. (2009). Health and Environmental Risks of Dumps and Landfills (pp. 1-16). Retrieved June 7, 2014
"Reducing Food Waste for Businesses ." Wastes-Resource Conservation-Food Waste. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency , Mar. 2014. Web. 4 June 2014. <http://www.epa.gov/foodrecovery/>.
Stephanie. "Basic Composting Information and Tips." Gardening Tips Ideas RSS. 27 Feb. 2012. Web. 4 June 2014.
"Sustainability and Composting at IU." We Are IU.com. 20 Sept. 2012. Web. 4 June 2014.
United States Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). Sustainability. Retrieved from http://epa.gov/sustainability/basicinfo.htm
Valomenos, Dimitri. (2014, June 4). Personal Interview
Instructor: Dr. Sean Terry
Introduction
Aegina, Greece is an island of striking beauty and ancient history. Crystal blue Aegean waters frame its beaches, and the agricultural landscape of pistachios and olives accent the terraced hillsides. People are drawn to live and to vacation on Aegina, and in recent times, this has led to an increasing amount of garbage. The cost of collecting and transporting this garbage to a landfill has been a problem for Aegina, but now a new initiative offers a solution to this issue.
Agricultural Fertilizer:
There are many needs that could be fulfilled by implementing a successful composting system on Aegina Island. One of the biggest needs for composting comes from the expensive cost of imported fertilizer. This high cost causes the price of growing pistachios to increase. When farmers enter the common market, the price for their pistachios decreases, but the price of producing is still high. This causes the profit to decrease. If farmers could reduce fertilizer costs by making compost themselves they would save a lot of money. The need for an inexpensive fertilizer is strong and would be widely accepted on the island as many people rely on fertilizers for their livelihood.
Health Issues:
When looking at the health issues that are associated with solid food wastes in municipal trash, it is clear that composting could offer a more sanitary alternative to garbage disposal. Examples of taking care of the trash the responsible way would consists of not just dumping scraps in a normal trash can, but putting them in a separate compost bin where they will be able to be used as fertilizer. This reduces the issue of odor, rodents, and insects. In the case of Aegina, this could also reduce the number of stray cats that are attracted to the trash bins. (Reducing).
Reducing Trash Hauling Costs:
The use of composting could also greatly reduce the amount of trash that is shipped away to landfills. According to Vassos Kanellopoulou, an estimate on now much trash is thrown away that could be used in compost is about 35%‐40%, but for Aegina she believed that it could be around 50%. This is due to all of the pruning materials that could be added to compost. Their ideal goal is to send only 20% of trash to landfills. Until about 30 years ago, most people did use all of their trash in one way or another. When trashcans became symbols of wealth, people stopped being so conscious and started throwing more things away.
Promoting a Clean City:
Composting can also improve the city's look as a whole. If people started to compost more this would eliminate a lot of the trash on the streets and around the dumpsters. With Aegina being a popular place for tourists, it is important to keep the city clean so that people will want to come back. Also, if the trash is removed more often the cats that gather around the dumpsters would also become less of a problem. This would help to increase the overall cleanliness and appeal of Aegina as an island.
Examples of Success:
“All you have to do is add the scraps, add the bran, and walk away. The microorganisms will do all of the work. You don’t even have to pay them.”-Adam Footer
Bokashi Composting:
Bokashi has been used for centuries by Japanese farmers; covering food waste with a local soil that contains the microorganisms used to ferment the waste. This type of composting will break down dairy, meat, and baked goods that many other systems would not. There are no strong putrid odors, nor is there insects or rodents attracted by it. The process can take up to two weeks before you can add it to the worm bin or straight into the soil. From here, it will take anywhere from two to four weeks to be fully integrated into the soil depending on the local soil’s biological activity and climate.
One example of success comes from one of Drury University’s Environmental Studies Professor, Dr. Sean Terry, who uses Bokashi in his family’s garden. In using this system his family has cut their household waste in half by recycling all food items. In addition to composting, his family also recycles plastic, cutting their total waste another 30%. This gives the Terry family a total of only 20% of non-recyclable and non-compostable waste that needs to go to the landfill.
Kalamata, Greece has started recycling and composting with great success. A local shared her success with composting in the Manifest Magazine back in 2010. She stated that she has been composting for seven years and at first had issues with moisture. During the summer she lightly sprinkled water once a week to keep her waste pile moist and covered it with cardboard or old cotton fabric to conserve the moisture. “A sprinkling ever now and then adds nitrogen which accelerates the breakdown and adds useful bacteria,” she stated. A list of things she added from her kitchen includes; uncooked vegetable and fruit waste, fish bones, tea bags, coffee grounds and egg shells. (Composting in Greece, 2010)
In the beginning Kalamata started with only 10 bins in a few communities. The idea was to get the community involved and promote cleaner and healthier communities. Each bin needs three people to function and is made out of four wooden pallets. Today, there are sixty bins in the communities in Kalamata and the organization has asked for forty more. Re-Think, the association who leads this movement, is a solely-volunteer based organization. This group of volunteers is teaching the community the values of composting and have involved the schools in many activities. They believe teaching the younger generation the importance of composting is key.
An example of local success comes from fellow Aegina farmer Ilias Kokkinelis. Ilias claims that upon using his home-grown compost in his garden he was able to maintain plants with 3 time’s bigger roots. In addition, the tomatoes were three times the normal size and were rich in vitamins. The microorganisms have significantly helped the stability and reliability of his plants. Ilias went on to say the primary benefits of composting includes healthier living and cost savings.
Goals of the Aegina Composting Initiative:
· Reduce waste hauling cost
o Today, the cost of trash disposal can cost anywhere from 60 to 80 euros per ton. This does not include the cost to haul the trash to the landfill or the cost to physically collect the trash (Kanellopoulou).
o With composting, the goal would be to only have to burry 20% of waste. 50% of garbage in Aegina has the potential to be composted due to the large amount of pruning materials.
· Promote organic and local fertilizer
o The price of importing fertilizer for pistachio plants is very high. The problem with this is that when the pistachio farmers take their product to the open market they are not receiving as much money, but their costs of producing are still high. This is turn leads to a loss for the farmers (Alyfantis).
o Promoting local fertilizer is not only a cheaper alternative but would be in very high demand since everyone relies on fertilizer to add to their plants.
· Promote awareness about composting through education system
o Lesson plans can incorporate information about composting into the curriculum of the middle school students in Aegina (Valomenos).
o By increasing awareness to the younger generation, long term sustainability could be reached for composting.
· Reduce health risks associated with solid waste disposal
o Biggest concern is the gases that are emitted from the anaerobic degradation of organic materials. This is called biogas and is made mainly of carbon dioxide and methane. Carbon dioxide has the ability to affect the human respiratory system. More than 5% of carbon dioxide in the air can lead to headaches and vertigo and more than 8% can be lethal
o Organic wastes in landfills also attract vermin, birds, and in the case of Aegina specifically, stray cats. These animals that are attracted to the food wastes that are thrown away can then carry diseases that have the potential to affect citizens (Ramke, 9).
· Promote civic and municipal cooperation on waste management
o In order for composting to be successful, it will take the cooperation of not only the citizens but the municipality working together to ensure long term success.
Benefits
· Citizens of Aegina could receive is a surplus of money from the reduction of waste hauling cost.
o A portion of this excess money could be used to haul off additional trash from beach cleanups. When more beach cleanups begin to occur, the amount of waste on the island is going to increase.
o According to Vasso Kanellopoulou, the waste service in Aegina does not come often enough. With this extra money allotment, Aegina could increase the amount of times the trash is picked up weekly.
· Saving money on Fertilizer
o Fertilizer is very expensive. According to Nikos Alyfantis, Aegina currently imports all of the water, nitrogen, and organic materials they use on their soil.
o By adopting a composting system, the price people pay will be minimal, as they will only have the initial start up costs. Once the compost is started, individuals will create fertilizer by placing their food and yard waste into the composting site. The organisms will then break down that waste and convert it to an organic fertilizer (Ilias).
· Educate people on composting at a younger age
o Teachers can incorporate a composting lesson into their science curriculum each year and teach the students how the system works (Dimitri).
o By introducing this idea to children at a younger age, they will gain a greater appreciation and understanding of a composting system (Dimitri). After gaining a greater knowledge of composting, students can then contribute to composting sites at their school, home, and community.
· Create a healthier environment for citizens by improving sanitation
o When food waste sits in the trash bins, it begins to release a foul smell. Not only is this displeasing to people, but it also serves as an attraction to bugs and rodents. (Reducing).
o By placing these food scraps in a composting site, the food is broken down by organisms and insect and rodent are greatly reduced, if not eliminated completely (Reducing).
· Composting will have the potential to unite the community of Aegina
o For composting to be done on a large scale, citizens of Aegina are going to have to work together to be successful (Ilias).
Long-Term Sustainability:
Long-term sustainability is a concept that has gained considerable attention following revelations about global warming and dwindling natural resources. At its most basic level, long-term sustainability suggests that a society will improve its chances of survival in the future by ensuring that resources used by the business are responsibly managed and maintained. “Sustainability is important to making sure that we have and will continue to have, the water, materials, and resources to protect human health and our environment” (United States Environmental Protection Agency).
As a part of this concept, the future association of Aegina Composting is working to reduce waste hauling costs and the health risks from solid waste. The strategy is simple; to promote sustainability initiatives, such as waste management and composting, through youth education and municipal cooperation. These strategies will help the island of Aegina reap the benefits of sustainability. By promoting healthier qualities of soil and cleaner water, Aegina can ensure adequate resources for the future.
Composting has been shown to increase soil quality by increasing organic matter and altering concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorous, as well as changing bulk density, porosity, and water holding capacity. These changes could be beneficial for soil conservation, particularly in Aegina soils that are degraded and lack nitrogen and carbon from natural substances.
Further, the additional cost benefits should create incentives to promote the compost and recycling initiative. By adopting the composting initiative, resources will be used more efficiently and in time will lead to sustainability. As of now it is extremely expensive for pistachio farmers to bring compost and manure to the island. These additional costs are a threat to the pistachio farmers when they enter the common market as the price of pistachios was nearly cut in half.
Conclusion:
Research for this project supports the conclusion that by implementing a successful composting program, Aegina has the ability to maintain its natural beauty and improve its economy. There are many benefits that result from composting including a reduction in costs and a healthier style of living. These types of programs have already made a difference in communities across the world. Aegina has great potential with the idea to start an “Aegina Composting Association” as its neighbor, Kalamata, has already done. The next step is to raise awareness and educate the people about the positive effects composting can offer.
Works Cited
Alyfantis, Nikos. (2014, June 3). Personal Interview
"Composting." Aegina. 7 June 2014. Lecture.
H, Jenny. "Bokashi Mudballs And Bengal Tigers." Review. Web log post. Blog on All Things Bokashi-food Recycling for Our Future. 6 Dec. 2010. Web. 3 June 2014.
Kanellopoulou, Vasso. (2014, June 3). Personal Interview
Kerry. "Composting in Greece." Parea Sti Mani. Web. 5 June 2014.
Ramke, H. (2009). Health and Environmental Risks of Dumps and Landfills (pp. 1-16). Retrieved June 7, 2014
"Reducing Food Waste for Businesses ." Wastes-Resource Conservation-Food Waste. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency , Mar. 2014. Web. 4 June 2014. <http://www.epa.gov/foodrecovery/>.
Stephanie. "Basic Composting Information and Tips." Gardening Tips Ideas RSS. 27 Feb. 2012. Web. 4 June 2014.
"Sustainability and Composting at IU." We Are IU.com. 20 Sept. 2012. Web. 4 June 2014.
United States Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). Sustainability. Retrieved from http://epa.gov/sustainability/basicinfo.htm
Valomenos, Dimitri. (2014, June 4). Personal Interview