Prospect Farm: Compost Collection Bins

"The composting addresses the matter of excess garbage in landfills in NYC. By reducing waste, and then repurposing it to create compost we are decreasing the carbon footprint caused by moving trash to landfills by truck. Once the organic matter has become compost we turn it into our soil which, over the years has accumulated high measurements of toxins and has become dusty and lifeless. Our efforts contribute towards phytoremediation of the soil and returning it to a communal use: edible plants and beautification of the neighborhood."

We would like to have a 3 bin compost system built by the first week or two of May. Farm members and volunteers will be asked to help build the bins. Once enough funds have been raised we will be able to begin purchasing supplies from Build it Green or Home Depot. We hope to build over the course of one weekend in May.

Our project specifically addresses two topics: waste management and soil remediation. Since April 2010, Prospect Farm has been a local compost collection site. Neighbors from Windsor Terrace to Kensington have come to our compost hours to drop off organic waste they have been collecting on a weekly basis. We have been decomposing that organic matter with leaves, newspapers and horse manure. Once the compost is ready we use a technique called trench composting in which the compost matter is turned into the current soil and mixed over a period of time to produce a healthy humus ideal for growing food.