Dear Friends--I thought this was interesting article (abstract only) and a good follow up to our discussion of composting cat litter. I will have a more detailed report on the kitty litter compost project in a future post. FYI, if you haven't seen the article in the GreenStar newsletter it is at:
http://www.greenstar.coop/greenleaf/all-greenleaf-articles/the-straight-poop-on-kitty-litter.html Take care. Tom Design, Testing and Implementation of a Large-Scale Urban Dog Waste Composting Program Compost Science & Utilization, (2007), Vol. 15, No. 4, 237-242 Leah Nemiroff(1)* and Judith Patterson(2) (1) Dept. of Biology and Science College, Concordia University, Montreal, Québec, Canada *Now at Dept. of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (2) Environmental Science Programme, Dept. of Geography, Planning and Environment, Concordia University, Montreal, Québec, Canada In Montreal, Québec, many dogs are exercised in fenced-in runs in parks. Consequently, these dog parks are a high-density source of large amounts of dog waste, which is typically collected by the owner in a plastic bag and deposited in the municipal garbage. In 2004, an experimental large-scale dog waste composting programme was initiated at the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (NDG) dog run in Montreal, Québec. Dog waste was collected with plastic shovels, deposited into compost bins, and layered with sawdust. In two months, a total of 213kg (470 lbs) of dog waste was collected and composted, along with 33kg (72 lbs) of donated sawdust, in two research compost bins. After a year of incubation, the two bins produced 179kg (394 lbs) of compost. Temperatures in the research bins peaked between 40°C and 55°C but were not maintained long enough for conclusive elimination of pathogens. Participation by dog run users during the trial project was enthusiastic, and full-scale dog waste composting has now been implemented at the dog run, with nine bins being filled over a 12 month period. On an annual basis, this composting programme diverts almost a ton of dog waste (approximately 959kg (2,115 lbs), over 130kg (300 lbs) of sawdust, and at least 7000 plastic bags from Montreal's landfill site, and produces about 770kg (1,700 lbs) of compost annually. Tom Shelley 118 E. Court St. Ithaca, NY 14850 607 342-0864 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.myspace.com/99319958 P I thank you for printing this e-mail only if it is necessary "Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." The World Commission on Environment and Development, Gro Harlem Brundtland Our Common Future, Oxford University Press, 1987 MY NOTE: Sustainable development does not mean "sustainable growth" as growth per se is not sustainable. And the term "sustainable" has to mean "for a very long time" (A. Bartlett). "The frog does not drink up the pond in which he lives." Sioux proverb _______________________________________________ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
