Testing an aerated static pile (ASP) compost system for efficiency of time and space

Kingdom View Compost was created in 2005 and we began collecting food scraps from area food scrap generators such schools, restaurants, etc. These food scraps are mixed with wood chips and manure on our certified organic dairy farm to produce our valuable fertilizer. Over these ten years, the local program has grown from around 2-3 Tons/Week of scraps to around 12 Tons/Week. Our farm has worked to keep up, but the program is growing faster than we are, which has made the operation crowded for space and inefficient.

Our goal is to able to efficiently process our permitted limit of 16 Tons/Week, without continuing to build compost pads on our valuable pasture. We looked at several options in depth and with limited funding, we believe that we have found a solution that fits. We are piloting a low cost aerated static pile (ASP) compost system can potentially decrease the time, costs, and footprint involved compared to the way we presently produce compost. If this new approach works well, it could serve as a model system for others to follow, as it might allow a larger volume of material to be processed using a smaller area than traditional composting methods allow. We plan to host an on-farm composting field day in the spring of 2017, after we have had enough time to trial and learn from the system.