Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation

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The Art of Composting
The compost heap
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The compost heap
In addition to food scraps, a compost heap needs to have two more items: microbe booster and rice chaff, two ingredients that volunteers need to purchase from a local farmers’ association at nominal prices. The need to use the specified items is the only major difference between this featured compost approach and the typical way of yard waste composting.

Keep the microbe booster and chaff separate, and make a third item by mixing two parts microbe booster and one part rice chaff (“mixture”).

Ingredients in a compost heap are put down in layers, much like making lasagna. Each layer in the heap is about five centimeters (two inches) thick. First put down a layer of rice chaff as a foundation. On that, put a layer of mixture, and then a layer of food scraps. After a total of seven layers each of mixture and scraps, the heap is topped with a layer of microbe booster and finally a layer of rice chaff.

Cooked food is best kept as a separate layer and put in the middle of the heap; extra microbe booster is required to handle the additional moisture. Put down the ingredients loosely; do not compact the heap because air is an important ingredient in composting. Lin noted that the chaff sucks excess moisture out of the scraps.

After a heap is made in a container, the container is left uncovered. The batch number and date are noted on a slip of paper that stays in a clear plastic pocket near the brim of the container. Leave the container in a place where air circulates easily. Now that the sowing is done, all one needs to do is wait for the harvesting.