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Stinky but worth it; Nagai City's composting
70-liter buckets used in town to collect organic trash. 99.11.25/ Temperature: 5C/ Weather: Cloudy, light showers/ Wind Direction: W
Start: Taro Bridge, Asahi Town 38 17 14 N 140 07 50E
Destination: Toyoda Elementary School, Nagai City 38 04 06 N 140 02 34 E
Distance Traveled: 32 kmIf you were to try to change the world, would you try it all by yourself or would you get a group of friends together? The people I met on my journey through Nagai City shared with me their thoughts on the city's new attempt to sustain healthy soil and grow healthy crops through composting. From this I realized that the Rainbow Plan (see Wisdom Report 071 and connect_wisdom 0188) relies on a combination of both individual and community cooperation.
Pile of organic trash to be composted by a farmer on the outskirts of town. Mountains surrounded me almost a full 360 degrees as I made my way toward Nagai City. The fall leaves of the rich buna beech forest have fallen to the earth. Nature's cycle follows my every step. To either side of me the natural rhythm of Japan's countryside greet me. The fall harvest of rice and vegetables is coming to an end. Plant shelters are being set up to protect plants from the harsh winter to come.
Nagai City Rainbow Plan Compost Center. Fresh compost is piled up and bagged to be sold to local farmers. Interaction with Toyoda Elementary School is what sparked my interest in Nagai City's Rainbow Plan. Today as I made my way through Nagai City I did a little investigation of my own. I was able to speak with many locals about the Rainbow Plan as well as receive a guided tour of the city's composting facility.
In the fabulous nature of Mogami River basin is a community of people working hard to create a healthy relationship with nature. In the center of town people have worked hard to turn household waste into fertilizer. In the outskirts of town people don't have the luxury of organic trash collection but do continue to work towards the same end. "I think it's wonderful," said a female shop owner on the outskirts of town. "Creating fertilizer from leftovers, giving nutrients to the soil, then growing large healthy vegetables is a very important cycle," she explained. "They don't collect out here but we compost to create this cycle and to help reduce trash. Almost everyone outside of the collection area does the same." I was impressed by the consensus about the importance maintaining rich soil. Individuals outside of the collection area are working hard toward the goals of the Rainbow Plan.
Mountains and rice paddies of the Mogami River basin. While people are making efforts outside of the collection area, it requires quite a bit of effort on the part of local administrators and citizens to make the compost system work within the city.
I approached the Rainbow Plan Composting Center hoping that I might be able to see how the facilities operate. Just as I arrived, two men were piling the large blue collection buckets used to collect organic waste onto a truck. Each bucket holds up to 70 liters of organic waste, close to 40 kg! The gentlemen I spoke with were on their way to deliver them to the 220 collection posts throughout the city. It is the city's responsibility to collect and process the organic waste.
Persimmons hang over the Mogami River. The process necessary to create fertilizer is a simple but smelly operation. The mix of household leftovers, cow manure, and rice chaff (rice husks) is a pungent smell strong enough to turn away the stuffiest nose. Fortunately, the final product is much milder. This combined with the cooperation of local citizens is what makes the Rainbow Plan possible.
I received several local opinions about the new project. "I think it's great," said a flower shop owner. He told me that he made sure to put out his organic trash properly. A bicycle shop owner exclaimed, "It (the Rainbow Plan) makes me very happy." Other locals shared with me that it is smelly and a little bit of a nuisance to take out their organic trash, but they are willing to make the extra effort. Lastly, a greengrocer said, "It is a great system. The project allows us to make an environmental cycle. Since no more organic trash is thrown away in bags, crows have disappeared from town."
Often when one thinks about what one can do for the environment, one will start with what can be done in one's daily life. I think this is very important. Speaking with people involved in the Rainbow Plan, I feel that it may also be important to see what can be accomplished by combining both individual and community efforts.
Do any of you compost household waste?
Greg
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