Research
Using a community-engaged research approach, our team will co-develop research questions, design studies, and collect data on household and community-scale composting. Each project will be guided by the needs of communities in Fresno, Tulare, and Merced counties considering the biophysical and social factors of small-scale decentralized composting.
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Our studies will address three major research themes: Potential, Implementation, and Impact
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Potential: How much organic material is available to make compost?
Implementation: What are the best composting strategies for each community context?
Impact: What are the ecological, social, and economic benefits of decentralized composting?
Implementation
Home Composting
Community Compost
Impact
Food Waste Study
Potential
Home Composting
Our primary objectives are to assess our participants' initial knowledge and attitudes toward home composting, establish home composting systems throughout the region, reassess the participants' willingness to compost after the study concludes, and analyze the quality of the produced compost. Each participant receives :
Materials
We provide each participant with all the tools and materials to compost at home.
Tools
All the tools to collect data will also be provided; scales to weight out added material, thermometer to check on how your compost is doing and coconut bedding, Bran, potato smasher to facilitate the composting experience.
Resources
As part of your tools, participants are also provided with a binder will resources; instructions how to get started, trouble shoot surveys and data sheets for the information we need.
Household Food Waste Generational Study
Our goal is to estimate how much food waste is generated at the household scale throughout regions of the San Joaquin Valley. ​​
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Over of this study:
Collect your food waste
Save and weigh your kitchen scraps daily for seven consecutive days.
Collect Data
Record the weight of the food at the end of the day
Surveys
Fill out one initial and one final survey at the end of the week.
Results from this study will help determine how much residential food waste is available to support community composting hubs and what composting infrastructures and educational resources are most appropriate for communities in each region.
Community
Composting
We will compare different community composting strategies to identify the resources needed to implement and maintain each system, assess user experience, and evaluate the potential for food production.
Participate in Our Research Studies!
Help us learn more about home composting and how much household food waste ends up in landfills across the Central Valley.
You can sign up for one or both of our studies:
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Home Composting Study – Learn how easy it is to start composting at home.
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Household Food Waste Generation Study – Find out how much food is thrown away in the average household.
As a thank-you for participating, you’ll receive a Visa gift card!