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Photo Credits: The Lower East Side Ecology Center
Who knew that a plastic bin, soil, newspaper, and 1,000 squiggly little red worms would be all the rage among New York City's Green crowd? At the Lower East Side Ecology Center, New Yorkers eager to compost in cramped apartments can take a composting class at the University Settlement Building on the Bowery. The non-profit organization dedicates itself offering environmental education programs to New Yorkers. "Worm Bins Made Easy" is one of the many programs offered by the Center. After getting my hands a little dirty, I sat down with Compost Project Manager Carey Pulverman to get a glimpse into their composting program.
Composting
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You might imagine that keeping a worm bin in an apartment in New York City, where space is a commodity, is a hard sell. Surprisingly, many New Yorkers are up for the challenge. Carey said they, “haven’t had such a problem getting people to come to our classes,” but this was already evident -- on this Thursday night in September, the "Worm Bins Made Easy" workshop was nearly at capacity. The interactive class broke down the reasons why composting is important, and showed us the step-by-step instructions for starting our own indoor composting bins. Carey defines composting as “the decomposition of organic matter to go back into the soil to create nutrients for plants.” Compost is a dark material that resembles rich topsoil and it's essential to plant health. Using a plastic bin, newspaper scraps, water and red wiggler worms, Carey taught us how to create an indoor composting bin. These indoor bins hold approximately three pounds of food scraps per week such as eggshells, fruit and vegetable scraps, and coffee grounds. Accordingn to Carey, composting is important because “it’s taking responsibility for the waste that you make.” This is particularly significant as New Yorkers generate 11,000 tons of garbage each day, which in turn, gets shipped to far away landfills.
A Leader in Recycling and CompostingThe Lower East Side Ecology Center got its start in 1987 and was one of the first program’s of its kind to offer recycling and composting services to New York City residents. The Center now collects approximately two tons a week of compost materials, continuing to provide a very needed service to New Yorkers.
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Get With The Program
Lower East Side Ecology Center hosts a wide range of other programs and educational opportunities. These include sustainable business workshops, fishing clinics, recycling days for electronic waste, and workshops for children, all of which keep New Yorkers more informed and responsible about sustainable living.
About the Author
Roxanne L. Scott is a writer and educator living in Queens, NY.
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