Composting in the DR?

Stodgord · #1 11-08-2005, 12:03 PM

I just became interested in the art of composting, thanks to New York City's Sanitation and botanical gardens. Basically, instead of throwing out your unwanted vegetable, green scraps, twigs, eggshells, paper products and leaves, you collect them in a bin for composting. According to statistics, composting reduces 30% of trash going to the landfill. Every six months the city gives back the compost they creat. It is ideal for ganderning.

I think the DR would benefit from a program like this. The rate of composting would be much faster than in NY due to the tropical weather down there. This would be a win-win situation since less garbage is going to the landfill and people are getting rich compost for their garden. I understand that people must first be educated and probably won't have the initiative, but I think if a few start doing it, it will catch on.

Please check the website below

http://vegweb.com/composting/

Who else compost?

Criss Colon · #2 11-09-2005, 11:32 AM

Dominicans don't do ANYTHING,if the reward is not immediate,and preferably monetary!
Besides,read on DR1 News,where all the guilty parties who dumped the Puerto Rican "Rock Ash" in the DR

just got a "Free Pass"

from the Dominican Courts!Including the owner of the company that did it,and "PONS" Sec Of The Enviornment!! Helps to be a"Politico" here!

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ps,Dominicans don't "Garden",remember what aI said about "results"? Other problem is,just before you harvest,your neighbor steals your "vegies"!
I never knew why most of the "Plantanos" you see in the market have a paint mark on them???? It is like a cattle brand.Keeps your neighbor from "mistakenly" harvesting your "Bananas"!
What a Country!!

Chirimoya · #3 11-09-2005, 11:36 AM

There is some worm composting in the DR. I agree, any sort of composting would be a good thing to promote, but it would be a challenge.

Stodgord · #4 11-09-2005, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Criss Colon

Dominicans don't do ANYTHING,if the reward is not immediate,and preferably monetary!
Besides,read on DR1 News,where all the guilty parties who dumped the Puerto Rican "Rock Ash" in the DR

just got a "Free Pass"

from the Dominican Courts!Including the owner of the company that did it,and "PONS" Sec Of The Enviornment!! Helps to be a"Politico" here!

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC CCCc

Yeah, I know the Dominican attitude. My mother in-law is visiting us in NYC right now and she sees my wife and I collecting the green scraps and bringing home bags of fall leaves from the park, now she wants to start doing the samething at her home in the DR.

Since I am taking her back there at the end of this month I will help her set up shop. Hopelly, other people in her barrio will catch on.

Stodgord · #5 11-09-2005, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chirimoya

There is some worm composting in the DR. I agree, any sort of composting would be a good thing to promote, but it would be a challenge.

Wow,

I guess I should have made a search first. I think if the Dominican people are presented with the end product (dark rich soil) first, they would not be so reluctant to accept the new idea. My mother-in-law and bother-in-law were amazed when they saw me bring dark rich soil from the local sanitation give back event. They could not believe it came from organic matters (leaves, peels and other things).

I am really excited about this. I plan to implement this art in the finca I co-own with my bother-in-law in Hato Mayor.

Keith R · #6 11-09-2005, 12:06 PM

Stodgord is correct. Composting would be a natural for the DR, given the high organic content of Dominican waste and the heat and humidity.

Composting usually works best at small scale -- individual household or neighborhood level. Large-scale projects launched throughout Latin America -- indeed, in many cases in North America as well -- have almost always failed because the economics did not work out -- essentially the primary users, farmers, did not want to pay much or at all for the compost produced, so the cost of production of a large-scale project had to be subsidized, and that never lasted long.

It is is estimated that less than 1% of household waste is composted in Latin America, 4-5% in the US, 11% in Japan and Switzerland.

But I still think getting composting going in areas of the DR where agricultural goods are being produced is feasible, despite CC's cynicism about Dominicans. I note that similar remarks have been made about the Spanairds and Italians over the years by folks like CC, yet they compost 14% and 10%, respectively. Both are countries with important agricultural sectors and both in the recent past had a household waste profile similar to the one the DR has now. Perhaps a look at how they make it work will yield some clues for how to make it work in the DR...

And CC, the rock ash remarks have zero relevance to this discussion. Who's going to be prosecuted for composting?

Keith R · #7 11-09-2005, 12:12 PM

Stodgord, composting is one of the subjects we plan to tackle in the DR enviro-blog a team of us will be launching here on DR1 bandwidth. Maybe you'd be interested in working with blog team members on producing that entry or entries which the time comes? For that matter, I invite all DR1ers interested in, or practicing (especially if in the DR), composting who might be willing to contribute their ideas, perspectives, experience to contact me by PM or email and we'll see what we can pull together.

Best Regards,
Keith

Criss Colon · #8 11-09-2005, 01:48 PM

Thr DR has a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOG way to go to catch up!
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My comment about "Rock Ash" was used to bolster my thesis that the DR cares absolutely NOTHING about the environment,and everything about $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Didn't like my comment about "Your Boy" Pons Heh? The Supposed Environmentalist!!!

Keith R · #9 11-09-2005, 02:14 PM

Moya Pons was never "my boy." In fact, check the archives. I raised doubts about his tenure more than once.

CC, you obviously know little about Spain's economic and environment history. Prior to its entry into the EU in 1984 (yes, just 20 years ago!), it was regarded by much of Europe as essentially a developing country located in Europe. Economy was underdeveloped, environmental protection poor. Its waste profile was very much like that of the DR today -- actually, it had a higher organic content and lower plastic content than the DR's.

It's easy being a cynic. Then all you have to do is gripe, put down and take shots at everyone with an idea or who gives a darn. Doing something positive, constructive in the DR on something like helping the environment might actually require getting off your a$$ and making an effort. Guess that rules you out!

Stodgord · #10 11-09-2005, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Criss Colon

Thr DR has a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOG way to go to catch up!
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC CCCCCCC
My comment about "Rock Ash" was used to bolster my thesis that the DR cares absolutely NOTHING about the environment,and everything about $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Didn't like my comment about "Your Boy" Pons Heh? The Supposed Environmentalist!!!

CC,

Yes Dominicans are not good for the environment but they sure love to have Black/dark dirt for their flowers. When a new home is built, the owner buys black dirt for their flower beds. Perhaps, in the propaganda benefits to the environment should be mentioned at all.

In Hato Mayor, most people are already saving their kitchen and food scraps for the pig farmers. I think it is start. Well, let me see how I do with my mother-in-law. She sees me as a know it all type of guy.

Roberto