How to Compost on a Large Scale

Composting is the biological process of promoting organic matter to decompose. Finished compost is a useful amendment that adds returns nutrients to the soil. Most people are familiar with composting grass clippings, leaves and kitchen scraps. But a wide range of materials are composted on a large scale, including bio solids, sewage sludge, manure, dead animals, food waste, yard waste, industrial wastes and military wastes.

Composting is an excellent method of disinfection of wastes because the high temperatures from decomposition destroy pathogens like bacteria, viruses and parasites as well as weed seeds. Three types of large-scale composting systems other than in-vessel or bin composting, include turned windrows (a windrow is a long thin row of piled materials, in this case, organic matter), passively aerated windrows and aerated static piles.

Large empty field
Front-end loader or windrow turner
Perforated PVC pipe
Air blowers
Raw organic materials to compost
Aged compost
Straw or peat moss

Instructions

Turned Windrows
- 1
  Transport organic materials to be composted to the empty field in evenly spaced rows10 feet apart and 5 feet high.
- 2
  Set up a schedule of turning the compost, with daily turning at first then slowing to weekly as the windrows decompose and diminish. Adjust the schedule as the weather changes. For example, if there is a lot of rain, adjust the schedule to turn the windrows more frequently than originally planned for more aeration.
- 3
  Remove aged compost from windrows before introducing new raw organic matter.
Passively Aerated Windrows
- 4
  Lay a base of straw, peat moss or finished compost in rows 15 feet apart to form windrows.
- 5
  Lay perforated pipe horizontally on top of the bases.
- 6
  Transport well-mixed organic materials to be composted to the rows and place it on top of the pipes, being careful not to cover the ends, leaving them open to allow the exchange of air and gases inside the windrows.
- 7
  Cover the organic matter with a layer of finished compost to create pressure on the compost piles in the windrows and seal the organic matter during no-turn composting.
- 8
  Remove the aged compost after three to nine weeks of composting to begin the process with fresh organic matter.
Aerated Static Piles
- 9
  Lay a base of straw, peat moss or finished compost in rows 15 feet apart to form windrows.
- 10
  Lay perforated pipe horizontally on top of the bases.
- 11
  Connect air blowers at one end of pipes at the end of rows.
- 12
  Transport well-mixed organic materials to be composted to the rows and place it on top of the pipes, being careful not to cover the ends or air blowers.
- 13
  Connect a section of pipe to the attached air blower and cover the open end with a small pile of screened compost to control odor. Set up the air blowers to either turn on intermittently with a timer or to run continuously, depending on the compost materials (higher density items such as dead animals and high nitrogen content decomposes faster with more oxygen).

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Soil

How to Compost on a Large Scale

Instructions

Turned Windrows

Passively Aerated Windrows

Aerated Static Piles