Iowa monastery composts city yard trimmings.

摘要

Composting operations at the New Melleray Abbey in Peosta, Iowa, USA, are described. The monastery has been composting yard trimmings from the nearby city of Dubuque since November 1997 and the finished compost is applied on its organically grown crops.The partnership between city and monastery was set up to reduce the city's solid waste management costs and to meet the monastery's needs for its organic farm. The materials handling methods are discussed. Future expansion to incorporate food residuals and shredded wood pallets is also being considered.