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Marine Mammal Rehab Coordinator Keith Matassa, Sustainability Coordinator Alethea Cariddi, and Grounds Lead Richard Burgess, along with two other co-authors, published an article in the October 2012 issue of Biocycle magazine, a publication dedicated to the study of composting, renewable energy and sustainability.

The article, “Overcoming Challenges of Winter Composting,” describes an experiment carried out at UNE that tested whether or not ambient temperature affects compostability.

In the experiment, four composting bins were filled with materials.  Bins one and two contained alternating layers of leaves collected from campus clean-up and food scraps (a total of approximately 400 pounds) from the dining hall.  Bin four also contained layers of leaves and food scraps, but 38% more food material was used than in bins one and two (approximately 550 pounds).  Finally, bin three, the control bin, contained only leaves.

Ambient temperatures as well as bin temperatures were monitored throughout four winter months (December 2011 through March of 2012).  All three bins that contained food scraps were able to maintain temperatures adequate for the decomposition process to take place.  The control bin did not.

Furthermore, bin number four, upon excavation at the experiment’s conclusion, revealed that it contained a dense, foul-smelling saturated core that, while in a state of decomposition, was not in as advanced a state of decomposition as the contents of bins one and two.

The authors conclude that ambient temperature is not an independent factor in determining the success of composting, as bins containing the optimal “recipe” were able to successfully decompose throughout the Maine winter.

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