Wasted Food Pathways -
Feed Animals
Education, Entertainment and Engagement. Feeding animals makes
food waste fun!
What do worms and chickens have in common? Both want to eat
your food! In return they give us worm castings, eggs & more! What a great
deal! Some would say it’s money for nothing!
The massive food waste problem in America is the subject of
much discussion. What can you do with your food waste? The most commonly used solution
has been to throw it “away.” We are now being encouraged to send it via trucks
to “somewhere else,” where it is usually processed using anaerobic digestion.
Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, odor and leachate are biproducts. There are
other options and they’re local too! There are a variety of ways to compost at
home. None of these methods are as engaging or motivating and as beneficial to the
environment as Animal Composting! epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/wasted-food-scale
Vermicomposting, or worm
composting, is the product of earthworm digestion (red wrigglers and other
composting worms) and aerobic decomposition using the activities of micro- and
macro-organisms at room temperatures. Vermicomposting produces worm castings, a
rich organic soil amendment containing a diversity of plant nutrients and
beneficial microorganisms. Worm castings are very valuable when utilized in
gardens to promote plant growth. Using Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) instead
of worms also produces a high value animal food, the BSFL itself. BSFL is highly
nutritious and suitable for fish, reptiles, chickens and more. 🪱🥙🪱🌱🪴
Chicken Composting: The
USDA & EPA endorse the integration of chickens into composting practices
due to their beneficial contributions. Chickens are not only a source of
nitrogen-rich manure but also play an active role in aerating compost piles
through their natural behaviors. Some other reasons to keep chickens: *Eggs
from free ranging hens are tastier, fresher and more nutritious. *Low
maintenance pets. *Great entertainment. *All-natural pest control. *Free lawn
service. *Zero waste partners. *Free Fertilizer. *Chicken therapy. *Connecting
family members with their food source. *Teaching responsibility. *Eating more
local food. *Reducing oil consumption and the carbon footprint. *A great family
economics lesson. *Saving heritage breeds. *Become a trend setter. *Chickens
pay their own way. 🐣🐔🌮🍕🥪🥙🍂🪱🥚♻️
Scalability: Vermicomposting
scales easily. It’s as simple as dedicating more space in a greenhouse,
basement, warehouse or other locations. Chickens just require a coop and some
space to scratch and turn the compostable material. Vermont Composting and the University
of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources, have shown that chickens,
whether centralized or decentralized, can compost enormous amounts of food
waste.
The math is easy. If every third household in Newton had
enough chickens to eat their kitchen scraps, usually 2 chickens, there would be
enough eggs to supply every household in Newton, essentially for free. 600
chickens can consume more than 10 tons of food waste in 1 month. 50 chickens
can consume 60lbs of food waste in 2 days, and then we get eggs.
Composting with Animals is rewarding for school children of
all ages! We can help.
