Now that we understand what waste diversion is from my last blog, let’s look at real life examples to understand what WEcycling really is.
In Nevada there are people thinking outside the mindset of most Nevadans and are trying to implement green initiatives. Beyond replacing light bulbs and highly expensive alternative energy plans, organizations and people are beginning to recycle their food waste through waste diversion programs.
WEcycling is the process of brining organizations and people together under one plan to compost the 34% of the MSW that is organic and make it into great soils to help people grow more nutritious food. The key to completing the WEcycle loop is to make sure the consumer is able to obtain these great soils and utilize them to their highest benefit. Lets look at a real life example happening right now in Nevada.
The Costco Corporation took the initiative to cut down their trash bill and also be more environmentally friendly by diverting 70% of each store’s waste from landfills to new reusable processes, including composting. Full Circle Compost was brought into this waste diversion program and has been turning the Carson City Costco’s weekly organic waste into superior soil amendments that go beyond the quality of normal composts.
The process is:
- The Carson City Costco and WEcycle works together to develop a plan for what items can be composted and what items should be recycled or thrown away. “WE” analyze the waste streams from different areas of the store to make sure the organic waste stream is ready for composting. Continual training and analysis continues to happen on a weekly basis.
- The Carson City Costco gathers organic materials in specific bins labeled for compost only products. This includes produce, compostable materials produced by sampling areas, wax paper cardboard, and other regulated materials.
- These materials are all put into a compactor that is then sent to Full Circle Compost on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.
- Full Circle Compost uses their 10-week aerobic composting process and specific composting recipes to turn food waste into highly concentrated soil amendments.
- Full Circle then sells this product in bulk to consumers that can then participate in the program. Costco will be displaying this local compost at certain times of the year where Costco consumers can participate in the program and know the “green” hard work that Costco is doing to cut down on their trash footprint.
- Consumers can then grow their own veggie gardens that will yield more nutritious and healthy food for their own consumption. Growing your own produce in great soils made from recycled produce, THIS IS THE COMPLETE WECYCLE PROGRAM.
(Actual results from a backyard garden in Gardnerville, NV using only native soils and high quality organic soil amendments)
This is a real life example happening right now in our local area of businesses trying to make a difference and how composting can change waste diversion to be even more green. Another article about this Costco is available here and details the Full Circle Composting Process: http://studentdev.jour.unr.edu/samanthasmith/?p=28
Costco is now selling their compost as a potting soil called, “Soil Cycle”. It’s a really high quality product, as expected from Costco products, such as Kirkland Signature.
I think it’s great that Costco is being proactive and doing a full circle program! Makes me proud to be a member.
Mark, I am glad you commented. The Soil Cycle product is an ok product. It is not made from recycled Costco compostables. It is just the nation wide soil product that they have brought in for sale this season. It is actually not that bad of a product when compared to other potting mixes available on the market. The recycling happening in Northern Nevada is a speciality product not yet available at Costco but is directly made from recycling their food waste and compostable waste. The product that is made from the recycling is called Soil Essence Elite Garden Boost and you can see a write up on it at fullcirclecompost.com
Here is the difference among the Soil Cycle product and speciality made products for change the actual dynamic of a person’s soil. This is what differentiates a good product from a great product!
Soil Cycle Ingredients: Green waste compost, rice hulls, worm castings, perlite, fir bark, redwood shavings, sand
Soil Essence Garden Boost: Humified compost, worm compost, compost tea, sea kelp, fish protein, feather meal, paramagnetic rock dust, Endo/ Ecto mycorrhizal fungi, solution (micronized) and agricultural grade calcium sulfate, calcium phosphate, and calcium carbonate, iron sulfate, boron, natural sulfur, Sul-po-mag, plus additional mined humates, 19 strains of beneficial bacteria and tricoderma species, carbohydrates, and amino acids.
It is not that Soil Cycle is bad. it has two different composts including worm castings which adds great value to the soil. However, the other ingredients are fillers and why you can still pick up a 2 cubic foot bag. I would recommend Soil Cycle over most other brands of compost you can find at major stores mainly because of the worm castings. However, if you can find a quality product such as Garden Boost in your area, you will really see the difference.
I am planting 24 Thuja trees and started mixing in Miracle Grow that says is for trees and shrubs. I went through a couple bags and ran out with more trees to plant. I saw Soul Cycle at Costco today and picked up a bag. I’m curious, how does this rate to the Miracle Grow and maybe I should be using something better?
Well you are dealing with completely different products. Miracle Grow is a chemical fertilizer that give your plants certain nutrients in chemical form. I am not against chemical fertilizers but you can think of them like steroids. People take steroids to get big and strong but if they stop taking them then the shrink back to normal. The same is for chemical fertilizers like Miracle Grow. You need to constantly apply them to get a response. This is expensive and not sustainable. The key is to give your trees the best environment possible to sustain their growth and provide them with natural nutrients. Compost is the way to do this. Soil Cycle is not a bad product because it does contain vermicompost, or worm compost. Worm compost is high in calcium and this in the mineral that drives all other nutrients to your trees. Changing your soil to be high in natural nutrients is the key. I have a whole blog post dedicated to properly planting trees and how to give them the best nutrients possible: https://codywitt.wordpress.com/2011/05/18/tree-planting-101-the-3-most-important-aspects/
Check that one out. I recommend using a composted wood mulch that has nutrients in the mulch itself. Soil cycle could be used as a mulch around the base of the tree. Using it along with Miracle Grow is better then using Miracle Grow alone because the compost allows the tree to absorbs the fertilizer easier. Just do not over do it with Miracle Grow. you should be changing the structure of the soil that the trees are in to best help them grown. Look at the tree blog and then some of my blogs on composting and nutrients. Ask anymore questions if I didn’t hit what you are looking for. Thanks for reading!
Too bad Costco doesn’t donate much needed meats and produce to local food banks.
Their compost could be feeding thousands of hungry people desperate for non-canned food.
Costco policy is to trash all perishables past sell-by date even though federal regulations protect them from litigation.
Why are you supporting compost when this food could keep families fed directly with unprocessed food?