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Abstract

A community sized composting system designed for The Community Center of Appropriate Technology (CCAT) at Humboldt State University in Arcata, CA. CCAT had a system in place that was not working for their desires, and wanted to upgrade to a system that was more efficient and user friendly. The designed was developed to be self-serving and easy to use, with minimal labor. We developed different ideas, while prototyping to see what CCAT preferred and disliked. We settled on a 3 barrel system with rotating lids to have multiple batches of compost at one time, to keep a continuous rotation. As well as, a separate system in place for green waste made from the infrastructure of the previous composting system already in place. This system is 2 piles with slower output, to require less labor and attention. We designed informative signs and pamphlets to pair with our system, for optimal understanding and education. While a budget has been put together, construction is still underway.

Background

The Campus Center for Appropriate Technology (CCAT) was established at Humboldt State University (HSU) in Arcata, California, USA in 1978. Since then CCAT has evolved into a living laboratory of sustainability that incorporates appropriate technology as a core operating philosophy. CCAT recently added a composting system into their facility where students, campus dining facilities, and community members can bring their compostable food waste. CCAT currently takes in over 50 lbs of community food waste a week to be composted. However, the current composting system has some specific issues such as: 1) lack of clarity/instructions for users 2) inefficient three-phase system and 3) rodent intrusion. These three aspects will be the primary focuses for our upgrade. It is our team goal to create a well-signed point-positive and user-friendly composting system that can be effectively utilized by anyone with or without a CCAT employee’s assistance. This project is set to be completed by the end of spring semester 2020.

Problem Statement

The objective of this project is to update the current CCAT composting system. The current CCAT composting system is not user-friendly, rodent-resistant, or well-signed to guide composters through proper utilization. We plan to renovate the system so the community can add to and use the CCAT’s composting system with ease. Our hope is that after the renovations, using the system will be clearer and protected from rodents, leading to a more efficient and beneficial compost.

Client Criteria

Working on an existing compost project that needs to be upgraded it has naturally had many hands on it over time and will be utilized by many different people at CCAT, therefore we recognized the importance of listening to the desires of our client. In this case, CCAT has an extensive history with composting systems on their property and know in detail what has and hasn’t worked for their community. The history and evolution of the compost system is complex, and CCAT employees were helpful in the process of defining criteria. CCAT gave us recommendations as well as explained their reasoning for why each criterion matter and the weight they place on it. This final list is a blend of what CCAT had prepared and our criteria. Most of our criteria fit nicely with theirs.

Criteria Constraints Weight
(1-10)
Safety All those working on project and those who will engage with it will be safe
10
Functionality Minimizes the labor intensity of turning compost. The new system should simplify the composting process for both CCAT staff and HSU student body, be rat/rodent proof, and utilize space appropriately. CCAT would like a designated sorting area to streamline compost output and manage clutter.
10
Cost Staying under budget.
10
Aesthetics New compost system should blend well with the existing CCAT atmosphere, utilize the space designated appropriately, and have clear signage.
9
Longevity New compost system will be the final, long term solution for composting at CCAT. Materials and design will not require excessive maintenance
8

Background Information and Research

See the review of the available literature pertinent to the a specific project at CCAT compost system 2020/Literature review.

Prototyping

Most people liked the system and felt it was straight forward. Most of the proposed changes were in the look of the design, such as, the colors and shapes. We learned that people did not care for using red on the lids, recommended we change the colors to purple or brown. One person recommended we change the symbol use for the finished compost to a flower. We took this advice and changed the other symbols to go better with the flower as well. Some also thought adding about 8-10 words onto the lids would be beneficial as well. CCAT thought that not having words on the lids, would encourage people to look at the sign. There was also a recommendation of adding instructional pictures on the sign. We have since revised our design after receiving the feedback from the prototype.

Prototype of Rotating 3-lid Compost Design
Prototype Sign
Lid Design Prototype

Construction

Construction of project TBA.

Proposed Timeline

Dates Objective
3/2/2020 Tentative budget. Present alternative solutions to CCAT
3/9/2020 First project photos. Construct a prototype. Make materials list and begin formulating building plans.
3/23/2020 Begin construction process. Draft Appropedia page.
4/13/2020 Continue construction, keeping criteria in mind. Check-in with CCAT. Touch up anything needed.
4/27/2020 Final Appropedia Page and project write up. Construction completed
5/4/2020 Reflection and final Presentation.

Costs

For CCAT's compost system upgrade we have a total budget allocation from CCAT of $350. We are hoping to keep total expenses within that overall budget and reuse any appropriate items from the current CCAT compost system to reduce costs and the carbon footprint of the new system.

Quantity Material Source Cost ($) Total ($)
3 Plastic Barrels Donations $0 $0
10 Wood Pallets Donations $0 $0
150 ft^2 Chicken Wire Ace Hardware $10/10ft^2 $150
1 Compost Crank Sun Frost $55 $55
75 ft^2 Insulation Ace Hardware $0.60/ ft^2 $45
Total Cost $250.00

Operation

Maintenance

We have developed instructions and a brief schedule one should follow if implementing the system.

Schedule

Daily
  • Adding proper N:C ratios of waste to the system.
Weekly
  • Turn compost briefly using compost crank or shovel.
  • Check on food donations and proper ratios. Add based on the flowchart diagnostic.
  • Switch over lids as needed.
Monthly
  • Prepare to harvest compost after decomposed. It will be much lighter in weight and airy and you should see little food scraps remaining.
  • Empty out and clean holes using water.
Yearly
  • Check on status of buckets. Replace any decomposing wood on overflow system. Patch any holes.

Instructions

This is a step by step guide on how to maintain and operate.

File:Compost lid1.jpg
How to Use Rotating 3-lid Design

Conclusion

Lessons learned

Discuss lessons were learned during this project and what you would do different next time.

Next steps

As we go into the future, the next steps for our project are to construct and implement at The Community Center for Appropriate Technology (CCAT).

Troubleshooting

If your compost system is having difficulties, check out this diagnostic to help get finished compost from your system:

Graphic to help troubleshoot composting issues.

For basic information on composting, click the following link:

Satellite Projects

The team made the following satellite projects to bolster the educational value during shelter in place orders of way back in 2020, remember those days...:

Team

Introduce team and semester in the following format:

References

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