Marsh+Folly

= //Welcome to Marsh Folly Composting Facility﻿ // =



﻿ Natasha Hurst & Jacqueline Lewis



=History =

Records in the Bermuda Archives reveal that it was not until the 1800’s that Bermuda even began to address its waste problems and it was, in fact, a public health issue rather than a garbage issue which prompted the earliest legislation. Although it is not well documented, it is believed that it was after the passage of the Public Health Act of 1949 that government began obtaining land around the Pembroke Marsh with an aim to establishing one central dumping site. Today, the site is used as a commercial composting facility where horticultural waste and food scraps from restaurants and cruise ships are composted. Organic waste is formed into rows of long piles called "windrows" and aerated by turning the pile periodically by either manual or mechanical means.

The ideal pile height, which is between 4 and 8 feet, allows for a pile large enough to generate sufficient heat and maintain temperatures, yet small enough to allow oxygen to flow to the windrow's core. The ideal pile width is between 14 and 16 feet. The end product is a soil amendment that has been used to restore the Marsh Folly site and that is also available to the public for horticultural practices.

We are currently accepting between 60 to 80 tonnes of organic waste per day at the Marsh Folly Composting Facility. Gov't Website

=Questions and Facts = Questions

=﻿Interview =

=﻿﻿Pictures of Marsh Folly﻿ = 

=Summary =

**//<span style="color: #808000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">﻿Is the current process of composting best for Bermuda? //**
<span style="color: #808000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">The composting process that we witnessed at Marsh Folly was the windrow composting process, but there are other methods of compost. In-vessel composting is a method that one will be discussing. In-vessel composting, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) website, occurs when “organic materials are fed into a drum, silo, concrete-lined trench, or similar equipment where the environmental conditions—including temperature, moisture, and aeration—are closely controlled.” The process also entails that “the apparatus [which varies in size and capacity] usually has a mechanism to turn or agitate the material for proper aeration.” When the organic materials are fed into the apparatus, the result is compost. According to the EPA’s website, “once the compost comes out of the vessel, however, it still requires a few more weeks or months for the microbial activity to stabilize and the pile to cool.” Consequently, as in-vessel compost’s website states “once the treatment requirements have been achieved, the material is further stabilized for a period of 8-12 weeks...the final product is screened and used in local horticultural, amenity and agricultural markets.”

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<span style="color: #808000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">In-vessel composting appears to be a successful way of composting, but one wonders if in-vessel composting is a good practice for Bermuda. As stated above, the compost can be used for shrubs/trees and farming/gardening. While visiting Marsh Folly one learned that the windrow composting process can be used for the same things. In one’s opinion, there is not a vast difference between windrow and in-vessel composting. Some advantages are: “waste is retained on [location] until composted, eliminating the need to transport raw waste on highways to a centralized composting yard” and “in-vessel composting can maintain a rapid decomposition process year-round regardless of external ambient conditions.” Despite the advantages, there’s no need in partaking in another form of composting at Marsh Folly if the present technology works. In conclusion, although in-vessel composting is a successful way of composting, one does not believe that the technology is needed in Bermuda. =====

=<span style="color: #808000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Resources =
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 * <span style="color: #808000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|http://www.in-vesselcomposting.co.uk]