Sara June 2 bay pallet system: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 04:17, 19 May 2020

Background

This compost was to tend to the waste of a 4 person household in Arcata, California. The house had a garden beginning and produced a fair amount of green-waste. My goal was to have a flowing system that would produce finished compost over time but one that needed little turning. I also needed something I could deconstruct easily if I left the house. It was in budget and desire to take useable material out of the waste stream. therefore I choose pallets for the main material. I made the system quick as the COVID-19 pandemic set in, without altering the pallets much. After this, I was able to test the design and see what types of needs the house had and how accessing the bays went. Redesigning it gave a whole new design fitting the house's needs and size very well! This is a project anyone can do with a little tool borrowing.

Criteria

Criteria	Constraints	Weight (1-10)
Accessablity	Compost should be user friendly to all those in the household as well as future tenets. The system should be reachable for dumping as well as turning.	9
Functionality	Able to take in compost from 4 plant-based eaters as well as garden and lawn waste. Stands up to heavy rain. Keeps food scraps inside.	10
Uses Waste	Use materials going into the waste stream to use of them. Minimizes cost.	10
Move-ablitiy	This system is not needed to last a long time but rather should be able to be deconstructed quickly in case of moving out or landlord changing.	8

Construction

Here is how I revamped the oversized pallet system to fit the needs of my household.

How to Build

Image: Sara's home pallet compost design.JPG

How to Build an at-home two-bay-composting system

Conclusion

Video Demonstration

Here is a short video showing and explaining the compost system before and after:

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Short video on how to navigate the system.

Troubleshooting

From the first design to the second, these were some adjustments I made. I also made a flow chat to help figure out what is wrong with your compost and how to fix it.

Problem	Suggestion
Compost not decomposing	to small of compost for space
Cannot reach back of bays	shorten system
Food falling from sides	close holes in pannels

Lessons learned

Building a compost system on a larger scale is very obtainable. Even this rustic one has a nice aesthetic and functions well. Getting to learn from what the inside is doing is the real challenge. Overall, this compost operated as both a windrow pile that could simply sit and decompose over less than a season's time. Or it can be turned to speed up the process. Harvesting finished compost felt great! And the plants enjoyed it!

@@ Line 66: / Line 66: @@
 ===Video Demonstration===
-Here is a short video showing and explaining the compost system before and after: {{#widget:YouTube|id=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9YUtv4UKvw&t=2s}}
+Here is a short video showing and explaining the compost system before and after: {{#widget:YouTube|id=Y9YUtv4UKvw}}
 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9YUtv4UKvw Short video on how to navigate the system.]