qubit's Photos

The "outgoing" end of the building. This view is facing the three composting bays.

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A pile of finished (or nearly finished compost). This picture is taken in the far side of the building (the "outgoing" end). Not that most of the material has broken down. There are still some large clumps, but those will be partially broken down by the screener. Anything that doesn't make it through the screener will go back through the process again.

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The sign says "Keep Off", but we're following Lynn, so it's okay.

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The leech field. Air and gases from the composting process are pumped into pipes placed in a pit of gravel, wood chips, etc... The gasses are filtered through this woodchip matrix.

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This picture shows the blower that (I believe) takes air out of the facility and through the leech field. Blowers on the back of the building (not pictured) are used to aerate the compost from below.

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The people touring the compost facility. From left to right, - Ashley Morishige, Sustainability Coordinator, Phi Tau Coeducation Fraternity, Dartmouth - John Leigh, Manager of Waste & Recycling Programs, DHMC - Lynn Coffran, Custodial Supervisor, FO&M, Dartmouth - Thomas Kehler, CEO of Fjord Seafood Chile (or Salmoamerica?) - Gary Hill, Director of Custodial and Recycling Services, FO&M, Dartmouth - Ashley Hetrick, Purchaser, DHMC (I apologize for the bad quality!)

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Ashley's friend and Ashley.

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A steaming pile of used horse bedding (straw, wood chips, and horse manure). Note the meter-long compost thermometer sticking in the pile. That thing is sweet!

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A view of the bucket loader and screener from just inside the Incoming Area door. From this perspective the wood chip pile is on the left, the used horse bedding is on the right, and the incoming compost is just a few feet behind me.

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A pile of wood chips that can be mixed into the incoming compostables along with the used horse bedding. This pile sits on the right hand side of the Incoming Area.

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A closer shot of the incoming food waste. You can see whole milk cartons and waxed paper cups in the pile. There are some plastic bags on the back right side of the pile. These will go through the composting process and be separated-out by the screener.

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The three bays used for composting. Material starts in the left bay and then moves to the right. When compost comes out of the far right bay it should be finished.

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Fresh food waste from the dining halls placed on top of used bedding (hay, wood chips, manure) from Morton Farm. Note the excess water in the foreground and in the back right.

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The "ROTOSCREEN RECUPERATOR R-450". This screener is used to filter out chunks of organic material and non-compostable material (e.g. plastics) after material has been composted. Incoming material does not go through this machine. I know what you're thinking: That machine is awesome! And you're totally correct.

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The bucket loader and the screener. The bucket loader is used to turn and move the compost.

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The outside of the facility. The closest part of the building is the incoming area where incoming material is mixed with used bedding from Morton Farm, the middle (the shorter part with two windows and a door) corresponds to the bays, and the far part is the outgoing area where compost is finished off or will await pickup.

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