Community compost (bEartha project)

Subsequently, funded by the central government (New Zealand Ministry for the Environment) alongside local government funding and a crowdfunding campaign, Community Compost designed, constructed, and installed a developed ‘bEartha v2’ (Next Generation Compost Crafting Machines, n.d.). The new machine resolved a number of issues the first design had experienced, and contained the compost vessel within a shipping container making the design scalable and relocatable. The premise of the bEartha machine is an automated hot compost process. After being filled with collected food waste (ground into small pieces), mulch and water, the machine is self-contained in producing compost. Using temperature sensors, the machine monitors the temperature of the material inside a turning vessel, and mechanically turns the mixture to maintain the correct temperature ideal for the desired microbial activity, which is decomposing the material and producing heat in the process. The end product is a semi-finished, highly microbial compost product that can be used as fertility in agriculture after maturing, especially for local home gardens, community gardens, and other organic food projects.

By diverting food waste from landfill, the project prevents this material from producing methane through anaerobic decomposition that occurs in landfill environments – this process is the releasing of carbon contained in material to the atmosphere (De Boni et al., 2022). Instead the carbon is sequestered in the form of compost, a valuable agricultural input (fertiliser) that improves soil health, and therefore plant health.
The community compost project operates with a mainly voluntary team. These kinds of activities promote community action to create tangible change to waste systems, sustainable food systems, food security, and climate outcomes. Additionally, they are ways to create community cohesion through education and support of physical and mental wellbeing. Community Compost Whakatu Nelson are actively looking for opportunities to expand and duplicate the bEartha model of urban composting (Next Generation Compost Crafting Machines, n.d.).